Proverbs 19
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1Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.1Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
2Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.2Desire without knowledge is not good-- how much more will hasty feet miss the way!
3People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.3A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD.
4Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.4Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.
5A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.5A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.
6Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!6Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.
7The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.7The poor are shunned by all their relatives-- how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
8To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.8The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.
9A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.9A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.
10It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury-- how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
11Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.11A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense.
12The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.12A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.13A foolish child is a father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.
14Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife.14Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
16Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.16Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.
17If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
18Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.18Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.
19Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.19A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again.
20Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.20Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.
21You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.21Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
22Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.22What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.
23Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.23The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
24Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.24A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
25If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.
26Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.26Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace.
27If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.27Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.28A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
29Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.29Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.New International Version (NIV)

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Proverbs 18
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