Proverbs 19
1 Better [is] the poor walking in his integrity, Than the perverse [in] his lips—who [is] a fool.
Conducting our lives as we should [even though] we are poor is better than being foolish and telling lies.
2 Also, without knowledge the soul [is] not good, And the hasty in feet is sinning.
Being enthusiastic but not thinking carefully [about what we are about to do] is not good; doing things hastily can cause us a lot of trouble [IDM].
3 The folly of man perverts his way, And his heart is angry against YHWH.
Some people are ruined as a result of their [own] foolish actions, and when that happens, they [SYN] angrily say that it is Yahweh’s fault.
4 Wealth adds many friends, And the poor is separated from his neighbor.
Those who are rich easily find people who want to be their friends, but when [people become] poor, their friends [often] desert them.
5 A false witness is not acquitted, Whoever breathes out lies is not delivered.
Those who tell lies in court will surely be punished [LIT]; they will not escape it.
6 Many beg the face of the noble, And all have made friendship to a man of gifts.
Many [people] try to persuade important people to do favors for them; everyone [wants to] be a friend of those who give gifts.
7 All the brothers of the poor have hated him, Surely his friends have also been far from him, He is pursuing words—they are not!
[Even] the relatives of someone who becomes poor hate him, and his friends certainly stay away from him, too; [even] if he tries to talk with them, they will not be his friends [again].
8 Whoever is getting heart is loving his soul, He is keeping understanding to find good.
Those who become wise [IDM] are doing a favor for themselves; those who get good sense will prosper.
9 A false witness is not acquitted, And whoever breathes out lies perishes.
Those who tell lies in court will certainly be punished [LIT]; they will be ruined.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule among princes.
It is not appropriate for foolish people to live (luxuriously/like rich people), and it is even less appropriate for slaves to rule important officials.
11 The wisdom of a man has deferred his anger, And his glory [is] to pass over transgression.
Those who have good sense do not quickly become angry; people respect those who ignore offensive [things that people say to them].
12 The wrath of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion, And his goodwill as dew on the herb.
When a king is angry, [that causes people to be afraid of him], like the roar of a lion [causes people to be afraid] [SIM], but if he acts kindly toward people, [they like it just] like [they like] dew on the grass [in the morning].
13 A foolish son [is] a calamity to his father, And the contentions of a wife [are] a continual dropping.
Foolish children [can] cause disasters to happen to their parents. A wife who constantly (nags/quarrels with) [her husband is as annoying as] water that continually drips [MET].
14 House and wealth [are] the inheritance of fathers, And an understanding wife [is] from YHWH.
We [can] inherit a house or money from our parents [when they die], but only Yahweh [can] give someone a sensible wife.
15 Sloth causes deep sleep to fall, And an indolent soul hungers.
Those who are lazy sleep soundly, but if they are lazy, they will be hungry [because of not earning money to buy food].
16 Whoever is keeping the command is keeping his soul, Whoever is despising His ways dies.
Those who obey [God’s] commandments will remain alive [for a long time]; those who despise/disobey them (OR, those who do not control their own conduct) will die [while they are still young].
17 Whoever is lending [to] YHWH is favoring the poor, And He repays his deed to him.
When we give things to poor [people], [it is as though] we are lending to Yahweh, and he will (pay us back/reward us for what we did).
18 Discipline your son, for there is hope, And do not lift up your soul to put him to death.
Discipline your children while [they are young], while you still hope that [they will learn to behave as they should]; [if you do not discipline them], you are helping them to destroy [themselves].
19 A man of great wrath is bearing punishment, For if you deliver, yet again you add.
Those who (do not control their temper/quickly become very angry) will have to endure what happens as a result; [but] if we rescue them [from those troubles once], we will have to continue rescuing them.
20 Hear counsel and receive instruction, So that you are wise in your latter end.
Pay attention when [people give you good] advice and learn from them, in order that you will become wise for the rest of your life.
21 The purposes in a man’s heart [are] many, And the counsel of YHWH—it stands.
People plan to do many [kinds of things], but what will happen is what Yahweh has decided will happen.
22 The desirableness of a man [is] his kindness, And the poor [is] better than a liar.
People want others to be loyal to them; it is better to be poor than to tell a lie [to a judge in court in order to get money].
23 The fear of YHWH [is] to life, And he remains satisfied—he is not charged with evil.
[Those who have] an awesome respect for Yahweh will live [a long life]; they rest peacefully and are not harmed [during the night].
24 The slothful has hidden his hand in a dish, Even to his mouth he does not bring it back.
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to take some food] but do not even lift the food up to their mouths.
25 Strike a scorner, and the simple acts prudently, And give reproof to the intelligent, He understands knowledge.
If you punish someone who makes fun of those who are wise, those who (are naive/need to be instructed) will learn to do what is smart; if you rebuke those who are wise, they will [listen to what you say and] become wiser.
26 Whoever is spoiling a father causes a mother to flee, A son causing shame, and bringing confusion.
Anyone who mistreats/abuses his father or forces his mother to leave the home is a child who is acting shamefully and disgracefully.
27 Cease, my son, to hear instruction—To err from sayings of knowledge.
My son, if you stop learning things, you will [soon] forget what [you already] know.
28 A worthless witness scorns judgment, And the mouth of the wicked swallows iniquity.
Worthless witnesses [in court] make fun of [judges who try to] make fair decisions, and wicked people [enjoy] doing evil [like] they enjoy eating [good food] [MET].
29 Judgments have been prepared for scorners, And stripes for the back of fools!
[God] is ready to punish those who make fun [of him/religion]; those who do foolish things deserve to be flogged/whipped.
