Proverbs 19

1Better to be poor and honest than to be a liar and a fool.

2It is not good for a person to be without knowledge. If you hurry and do something too quickly, you will make mistakes.

3People destroy their lives when they do foolish things, then they get angry and blame the LORD and say it is the LORD's fault.

4When a person is rich, that person has many friends, but when that person becomes poor, that person has no friends.

5A false witness will be punished, and someone who tells lies will not escape.

6Everyone wants to be friends with an important person. They also want to be friends with someone who gives away gifts.

7A poor man's brothers do not like that poor man, and that poor man's friends will avoid that poor man even more. When that poor man really needs them, they stay away. There is no one there to help that poor man.

8Whoever gains wisdom loves that person's own life; whoever keeps understanding will find success.

9A false witness will be punished, and someone who tells lies will perish.

10It is not normal for a fool to be rich or for a slave to rule over princes!

11A wise man does not become angry quickly; that wise man always wants to forgive the mistakes of other people.

12The shouts of an angry king are like a roaring lion, but the king's kind words are like the dew on the grass.

13A foolish child brings a lot of trouble to that child's father and a complaining wife is like water dripping non-stop from a roof.

14People receive houses and money from their parents, but a good wise wife is a gift from the LORD.

15A lazy person sleeps all day, and an idle worker goes hungry.

16People who obey the commandments of the LORD will live, but whoever ignores God's ways will die.

17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will reward that person for what that person has done.

18Correct your child while there is still hope, and do not let that child's crying stop you.

19A person who gets angry quickly will always have trouble. If you help that person, you will have to help that person again and again.

20If you listen to what people teach you and you learn from them, you will have wisdom in the end.

21People make a lot of plans about what they want to do, but the advice of the LORD will endure.

22What people desire most is loyalty; better to be a poor person than a liar.

23Respecting the LORD gives you a good life, one that is satisfying and protected during trouble.

24A lazy man puts that man's hand in a dish to get food, but that man is too lazy to bring the food back to his mouth.

25If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, the wise will be all the wiser.

26A child who steals from that child's father and chases away that child's mother causes shame and brings disappointment.

27My son, if you stop learning, you will turn your back on knowledge.

28Using a criminal as a witness makes a joke of justice. Sinful people love to do things that are wrong.

29Judgments are prepared for mockers, and a whip for the back of fools.