It's wise to be patient

1It's better to be poor

and live right

than to be a stupid liar.

2Willingness and stupidity

don't go well together.

If you are too eager,

you will miss the road.

3We are ruined

by our own stupidity,

though we blame the LORD.

4The rich have many friends;

the poor have none.

5Dishonest witnesses and liars

won't escape punishment.

6Everyone tries to be friends

of those who can help them.

7If you are poor,

your own relatives reject you,

and your friends are worse.

When you really need them,

they are not there.19.7 When…there: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

8Do yourself a favour

by having good sense—

you will be glad you did.

9Dishonest witnesses and liars

will be destroyed.

10It isn't right for a fool

to live in luxury

or for a slave to rule

in place of a king.

11It's wise to be patient

and show what you are like

by forgiving others.

12An angry king roars

like a lion,

but when a king is pleased,

it's like dew on the crops.

13A foolish son brings disgrace

to his father.

A nagging wife goes on and on

like the drip, drip, drip

of the rain.

14You may inherit all you own

from your parents,

but a sensible wife

is a gift from the LORD.

15If you are lazy

and sleep your time away,

you will starve.

16Obey the Lord's teachings

and you will live—

disobey and you will die.

17Caring for the poor

is lending to the LORD,

and you will be well repaid.

18Correct your children

before it's too late;

if you don't punish them,

you are destroying them.

19People with bad tempers

are always in trouble,

and they need help

over and over again.19.19 and they…again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

20Pay attention to advice

and accept correction,

so you can live sensibly.

21We may make a lot of plans,

but the LORD will do

what he has decided.

22What matters most is loyalty.

It's better to be poor

than to be a liar.

23Showing respect to the LORD

brings true life—

if you do it, you can relax

without fear of danger.

24Some people are too lazy

to lift a hand

to feed themselves.

25Stupid fools learn good sense

by seeing others punished;

a sensible person learns

by being corrected.

26Children who bring disgrace

rob their father

and chase their mother away.

27If you stop learning,

you will forget

what you already know.

28A lying witness makes fun

of the court system,

and criminals think crime

is really delicious.

29Every stupid fool

is just waiting

to be punished.