Proverbs 19

⁶Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

⁸Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.

²⁶What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

²²The desire of a man is loving devotion; better to be poor than a liar.

²He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.

⁷The righteous man walks with integrity; blessed are his children after him.

⁵The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.

²⁰Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

⁹Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

¹⁶So this is what the Lord God says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

⁹And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.

¹⁰And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish

⁷Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.

³The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

¹³And Saul asked him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”

¹⁴Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard and honored in your house?

⁹For the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”

¹⁰Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.

¹⁹When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation.

²⁰And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.

⁶Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.

⁷All the brothers of a poor man hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.

¹³After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living.

¹⁴After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need.

¹³He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.

¹⁴My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

¹⁵But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow,

¹⁶darkened because of the ice and the inflow of melting snow,

²⁸A lying witness will perish, but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.

¹⁹a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

¹“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.

²⁴At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

¹⁶If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

¹⁷both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.

²⁶Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the Lord.

¹⁶A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.

⁸A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

⁶Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹⁴A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.

⁸You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

²³The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.

¹⁷If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.

¹¹My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

⁴Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

¹⁶If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?

²⁰Whoever heeds instruction will find success, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the Lord.

³⁶But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”

⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

¹⁰For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

²¹Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

¹⁵But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.

²⁰But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

¹Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

²Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.

⁸But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

¹⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.

¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”

²¹Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

²²a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

¹Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool.

¹⁹Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.

²³In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

⁹Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

²⁴So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away!

²⁵Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”

³²He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.

²⁹A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

¹⁹My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

¹³Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

¹⁸A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

³It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.

⁵I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

⁴I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.

⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

¹⁴The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵When a king’s face brightens, there is life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

⁸Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

⁹Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

¹⁵A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—

²⁴Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

²¹A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.

¹⁹Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

¹⁰A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

¹⁴See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

¹³Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

¹⁰For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

⁹How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

¹¹And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

¹²The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

³³A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

¹³He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

²²and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

¹⁷The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

¹⁰For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

⁷Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.

⁴⁰And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

¹Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

²⁴He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

¹⁵A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

¹³Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

⁷Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

⁸If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

¹⁷Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.

²⁸Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.

¹⁷and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I have rewarded you with evil.

¹⁸And you have declared this day how you have treated me well, for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.

²²An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

⁵As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses.

⁶He threw stones at David and at all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty men were on David’s right and left.

²⁴Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,

²⁵or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

⁷Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?

⁸Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today.”

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

³⁴Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my doorway.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the Lord.

¹My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,

²if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

¹Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”

⁹A man’s heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

²⁴The Lord of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.

¹The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the Lord.

¹⁰The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.

¹¹The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.

¹⁰I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

³⁰There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the Lord.

¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

⁸But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart.

⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.

⁷The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.

⁴¹As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.

⁴²Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.

¹Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.

²in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

²⁶He who fears the Lord is secure in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

¹⁰and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

¹¹The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

²¹No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.

⁸For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

⁶So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

¹⁹The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

⁹How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

¹³The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.

³⁰I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.

³¹Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.

¹⁵Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

²⁰He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me.

¹¹When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; and when a wise man is instructed, he acquires knowledge.

¹⁰A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.

¹⁹Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

⁵A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

²¹Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.

⁵He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

²⁴He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,” is a companion to the man who destroys.

¹⁷As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

²A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

¹⁴Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

³If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,

⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions,

²⁴He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

⁷Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.

¹⁵Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

¹⁶how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

²“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.

³And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

¹¹Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”

¹²So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,

⁷What man is like Job, who drinks up derision like water?

¹³And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

¹²Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,

¹³though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

³Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

⁴“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

⁴⁰Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:

⁴¹‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”