Online Bible

The Counsel of Yahweh Will Stand

^aBetter is a poor man who ^bwalks in his integrityThan he who is crooked in lips and is a fool.2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,And he who hurries ¹^ahis footsteps sins.3 The ^afolly of man subverts his way,But his heart ^brages against Yahweh.4 ^aWealth adds many friends,But a poor man is separated from his friend.5 A ¹^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And he who ^bbreathes out lies will not escape.6 ^aMany will seek the favor of a noble man,And everyone is a friend to a man who ^bgives gifts.7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him;How much more do his ^afriends distance themselves from him!He ^bpursues them with words, but they are no more.8 He who acquires a heart of wisdom loves his own soul;He who keeps discernment will ^afind good.9 A ¹^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And he who breathes out lies will perish.10 Luxury is ^anot fitting for a fool;Much less for a ^bslave to rule over princes.11 A man’s ^ainsight makes him slow to anger,And it is his honor ^bto overlook a transgression.12 The ^aking’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,But his favor is like ^bdew on the grass.13 A ^afoolish son is destruction to his father,And the ^bcontentions of a wife are a constant dripping.14 House and wealth are an ^ainheritance from fathers,But a wife who has insight is from Yahweh.15 ^aLaziness casts into a deep sleep,And a slack-handed soul will suffer hunger.16 He who ^akeeps the commandment keeps his soul,But he who despises his way will die.17 He who ^ais gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh,And He will repay him for his ^bbountiful deed.18 ^aDiscipline your son while there is hope,And do not ¹direct your soul to put him to death.19 A man of great wrath will bear the penalty,For if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.20 ^aListen to counsel and receive discipline,That you may be wise in ¹the end of your days.21 Many ¹^athoughts are in a man’s heart,But it is the ^bcounsel of Yahweh that will stand.22 What is desirable in a man is his lovingkindness,And better is a poor man than a man of falsehood.23 The ¹^afear of Yahweh leads to life,So that one may sleep ^bsatisfied, not ^cvisited by evil.24 The ^asluggard buries his hand ^bin the dish,But will not even bring it back to his mouth.25 ^aStrike a scoffer and the simple may become prudent,But ^breprove one who has understanding and he will understand knowledge.26 He ^awho assaults his father and causes his mother to fleeIs a son who brings shame and humiliation.27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline,And you will stray from the words of knowledge.28 A vile witness scoffs at justice,And the mouth of the wicked ^aswallows up iniquity.29 ¹Judgments are established for ^ascoffers,And ^bbeatings for the back of fools.

On Life and Conduct

^aBetter is a poor person who ^bwalks in his integrityThan a person who is perverse in ¹speech and is a fool.2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,And one who hurries ¹^ahis footsteps ²errs.3 The ^afoolishness of a person ruins his way,And his heart ^brages against the LORD.4 ^aWealth adds many friends,But a poor person is separated from his friend.5 A ^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And one who ^bdeclares lies will not escape.6 ^aMany will seek the favor of a ¹generous person,And every person is a friend to ^bhim who gives gifts.7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him;How much more do his ^afriends abandon him!He ^bpursues them with words, but they are ¹gone.8 One who gets ¹wisdom loves his own soul;One who keeps understanding will ^afind good.9 A ^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And one who declares lies will perish.10 Luxury is ^anot fitting for a fool;Much less for a ^bslave to rule over princes.11 A person’s ^adiscretion makes him slow to anger,And it is his glory ^bto overlook an offense.12 A ^aking’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,But his favor is like ^bdew on the grass.13 A ^afoolish son is destruction to his father,And the ^bquarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.14 House and wealth are an ^ainheritance from fathers,But a prudent wife is from the LORD.15 ^aLaziness casts one into a deep sleep,And ¹a lazy ²person will suffer hunger.16 One who ^akeeps the commandment keeps his soul,But one who ¹is careless of ²conduct will die.17 One who ^ais gracious to a poor person lends to the LORD,And He will repay him for his ¹^bgood deed.18 ^aDiscipline your son while there is hope,And do not desire ¹his death.19 A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.20 ^aListen to advice and accept discipline,So that you may be wise ¹the rest of your days.21 Many ^aplans are in a person’s heart,But the ^badvice of the LORD will stand.22 What is desirable in a person is his ¹kindness,And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.23 ¹The ^afear of the LORD leads to life,So that one may sleep ^bsatisfied, ²^cuntouched by evil.24 The ¹^alazy one buries his hand ^bin the dish,But will not even bring it back to his mouth.25 ^aStrike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,But ^brebuke one who has understanding, and he will ¹gain knowledge.26 He ^awho assaults his father and drives his mother awayIs a shameful and disgraceful son.27 Stop listening, my son, to discipline,And you will stray from the words of knowledge.28 A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,And the mouth of the wicked ¹^aswallows wrongdoing.29 ¹Judgments are prepared for ^ascoffers,And ^bbeatings for the backs of fools.