Proverbs 19
1 Better is the poor man who walketh in his integrity, Than he who is of false lips and a fool.
Conducting our lives as we should [even though] we are poor is better than being foolish and telling lies.
2 Moreover, that the soul be without knowledge is not good, And he that hasteth with is feet stumbleth.
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 destroyeth his way, And then his heart fretteth against the LORD.
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 maketh many friends; But 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 shall not be unpunished, And he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
Those who tell lies in court will surely be punished [LIT]; they will not escape it.
6 Many are they who caress the noble, And every one is the friend of him who giveth 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 brethren of the poor man hate him; How much more do his friends go far from him! He runneth after their words, —they are gone!
[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 He that getteth wisdom loveth himself; He that keepeth understanding shall find good.
Those who become wise [IDM] are doing a favor for themselves; those who get good sense will prosper.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, And he that speaketh lies shall perish.
Those who tell lies in court will certainly be punished [LIT]; they will be ruined.
10 Luxury is not seemly for a fool; Much less should a servant have rule over 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 A man of understanding is slow to anger; Yea, it is his glory to pass over an offence.
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 like the roaring of a lion; But his favor, like dew upon the grass.
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 Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers; But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
We [can] inherit a house or money from our parents [when they die], but only Yahweh [can] give someone a sensible wife.
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, And the idle person shall suffer hunger.
Those who are lazy sleep soundly, but if they are lazy, they will be hungry [because of not earning money to buy food].
16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his life; But he that neglecteth his ways shall die.
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 He who hath pity on the poor lendeth to the LORD, And that which he giveth will he repay 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 Chasten thy son because there is hope, But let not thy soul desire to slay him.
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 will suffer punishment; For if thou deliver him, yet must thou do it again.
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 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That thou mayst be wise in thy latter years.
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 Many are the devices in the heart of a man; But the purpose of the LORD, that shall stand.
People plan to do many [kinds of things], but what will happen is what Yahweh has decided will happen.
22 The charm of a man is his kindness; And better is a poor man 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 the LORD tendeth to life, And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited 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 man dippeth his hand into the dish: He doth not bring it back even to his mouth.
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 the scoffer, and the simple will become prudent; Reprove a man of understanding, and he will discern 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 The son that causeth shame and disgrace doeth violence to his father, And chaseth away his mother.
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 listen to the instruction That causeth thee to wander from the words of knowledge!
My son, if you stop learning things, you will [soon] forget what [you already] know.
28 A worthless witness scoffeth at justice, And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth down 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 Punishments are prepared for scoffers, 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.
