Proverbs 19

1Better to be poor and honest

than to be dishonest and a fool.

2Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;

haste makes mistakes.

3People ruin their lives by their own foolishness

and then are angry at the Lord.

4Wealth makes many “friends”;

poverty drives them all away.

5A false witness will not go unpunished,

nor will a liar escape.

6Many seek favors from a ruler;

everyone is the friend of a person 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.

8To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;

people who cherish understanding will prosper.

9A false witness will not go unpunished,

and a liar will be destroyed.

10It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury

or for a slave to rule over princes!

11Sensible people control their temper;

they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.