Proverbs 19:1-29
1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
5 A false witness shall not be unpunished,a and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to himb that giveth gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
8 He that getteth wisdomc loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
10 Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11 The discretiond of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.
17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
22 The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware:e and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
Proverbs 19:1. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, in simplicity and honesty of heart, than a fool whose tongue is perverse, and whose body is swoln with corpulency. The contrast of men's conditions, and their diversity of moral character, suggest a world of ideas respecting the conduct and issues of life.
Proverbs 19:2. That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good. The human mind, godlike in its powers, is worthy of culture. In the year 1780, the county of Dorset was infected with a gang of thieves; at length the gentlemen rose upon them, and hanged ten. The Ordinary procured for them ten prayer-books, and read prayers to them daily. He observed, as he states in a pamphlet, that they did not use the books! He found on enquiry that not one of them could read. This was the case with the poor Irish, drawn into rebellion in the year 1797. This was the case with the untutored French, who on the breaking out of the revolution in 1789, filled their country with bloody atrocities, and degraded its cosmography by burning two hundred and seventy three gentlemen's seats. Now the French have established, after the example of England, forty thousand schools in the different communes. We now agree with Solomon, that “the feet of the untutored poor haste to sin.”
Proverbs 19:5 ; Proverbs 19:9; Proverbs 19:28. A false witness shall not be unpunished. Our old law was that he shall lose his ears. See on Proverbs 14:5.
Proverbs 19:6. Many will entreat the favour of the prince. A fine satire on courtiers, who fatigue the ears of princes for preferment.
Proverbs 19:11. The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. Æsop says, when the ass brayed against the lion, Leo at first was very angry; but afterwards considering within himself that it was only an ass, he walked on.
Proverbs 19:12. The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; against political crimes, cowardice in war, or private villanies. David swore in anger that the rich man who had seized the poor man's ewe lamb should surely die.
Proverbs 19:17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. The earth is the Lord's, the bread is for the people; to withhold bread from the aged, the sick, and the blind, is to rob the poor, and incur the anger of heaven. “If they cry at all to me, saith the Lord, I will avenge them.” They ask to die, as they have lived, in humble cottages. To send them in their last moments to die in a sort of state-prison, with vagrants and the sweepings of the streets, is to break their hearts.
Proverbs 19:18. Chasten thy son while there is hope. If he steal a toy, make him carry it back; and kindly train him to duty and obedience. Such is the sentiment of St. Paul. Ephesians 6:4.
Proverbs 19:26. He that wasteth his father, by prodigality, and chaseth away his mother, refusing her a home and bread, covers his family with shame, and brings on himself destruction. And this case is the more alarming, because it is common.