ምሳሌ 19

¹Better to be poor and live with integrity \q than to be a fool with a lying tongue. ²Zeal without knowledge is not good; \q whoever rushes ahead misses the way. ³People ruin their lives by their own folly, \q and then their hearts rage against the LORD. ⁴Wealth brings many friends, \q but the poor lose even the friends they have. ⁵A false witness will not escape punishment, \q and one who pours out lies will not get away. ⁶Many try to win a ruler’s favor, \q and everyone is a friend to the one who gives gifts. ⁷All the relatives of the poor shun them; \q how much more do their friends keep away! \q The poor go after them with pleas, but they are gone.^{a 8}To gain sense is to love yourself; \q to hold on to understanding is to prosper. ⁹A false witness will not escape punishment, \q and one who pours out lies will perish.

¹⁰Luxury does not suit a fool; \q still less should a servant rule over princes. ¹¹Good sense makes a person patient, \q and it is to their credit to overlook an offense. ¹²A king in a rage roars like a lion, \q but his goodwill falls like dew on the grass. ¹³A foolish son ruins his father, \q and a quarrelsome wife is like a leaky roof that never stops dripping. ¹⁴House and wealth are inherited from parents, \q but a sensible wife is from the LORD. ¹⁵Laziness brings on deep sleep, \q and an idle person will go hungry. ¹⁶Whoever keeps the commandment preserves their life, \q but whoever is careless about how they live will die. ¹⁷Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the LORD, \q and he will pay them back for what they have done. ¹⁸Discipline your son while there is still hope; \q do not make yourself responsible for his death.^{b 19}A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; \q if you bail them out, you will only have to do it again. ²⁰Listen to advice and accept correction, \q so that in the end you will be wise. ²¹People have many plans in their minds, \q but it is the purpose of the LORD that will prevail. ²²What people want in a person is loyalty; \q better to be poor than a liar.^{c 23}The fear of the LORD leads to life; \q whoever has it rests content, untouched by trouble. ²⁴The lazy bury their hand in the dish \q and will not even lift it back to their mouth. ²⁵Flog a mocker, and the naive will learn a lesson; \q correct the discerning, and they will gain knowledge. ²⁶A son who robs his father and drives out his mother \q brings shame and disgrace. ²⁷My son, if you stop listening to correction, \q you will stray from the words of knowledge. ²⁸A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice, \q and the wicked swallow evil whole. ²⁹Penalties stand ready for mockers, \q and the rod for fools’ backs.