Proverbs 19:1-13

Christian Standard Bible

19 Better a poor person who lives with integrity^(A)
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

² Even zeal is not good without knowledge,^(B)
and the one who acts hastily^[a] sins.^(C)

³ A person’s own foolishness leads him astray,
yet his heart rages against the Lord.^(D)

⁴ Wealth attracts many friends,^(E)
but a poor person is separated from his friend.

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished,^(F)
and one who utters lies will not escape.^(G)

⁶ Many seek a ruler’s favor,^(H)
and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts.^(I)

⁷ All the brothers of a poor person hate him;^(J)
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,^(K)
but they are not there.^[b]

⁸ The one who acquires good sense^[c] loves himself;
one who safeguards understanding finds success.^(L)

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies perishes.^(M)

¹⁰ Luxury is not appropriate for a fool^(N)—
how much less for a slave to rule over princes!^(O)

¹¹ A person’s insight gives him patience,^(P)
and his virtue is to overlook an offense.^(Q)

¹² A king’s rage is like the roaring of a lion,^(R)
but his favor is like dew on the grass.^(S)

¹³ A foolish son is his father’s ruin,^(T)
and a wife’s nagging is an endless dripping.^(U)