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Proverbs 19
1Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
2It isn’t good to have zeal without knowledge, nor being hasty with one’s feet and missing the way.
3The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against the LORD.
4Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend.
5A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.
6Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7All the relatives of the poor shun him; how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.
8He who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He who keeps understanding shall find good.
9A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.
10Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool, much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.
12The ’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping.
14House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. The idle soul shall suffer hunger.
16He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is contemptuous in his ways shall die.
17He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD; he will reward him.
18Discipline your son, for there is hope; don’t be a willing party to his death.
19A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty, for if you rescue him, you must do it again.
20Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter end.
21There are many plans in a man’s heart, but the LORD’s counsel will prevail.
22That which makes a man to be is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.
23The fear of the LORD leads to life, then contentment; he rests and will not be touched by trouble.
24The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25Flog a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26He who robs his father and drives away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27If you stop listening to instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28A corrupt witness mocks justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
29Penalties are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
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Questions this passage answers
How do I stop committing the same sin over and over?
Scripture answers a repeated sin by changing what the believer reckons to be true, then by naming the ordinary means: consider yourself dead to sin, stop presenting your body to it, bring it out of secrecy by confession, walk by the Spirit, and remove what feeds the desire. It does not promise a single moment that ends the struggle, and it does not treat repeated falling as proof that grace has run out.
How do I trust God when life is difficult?
Biblical trust is not a feeling you generate. It is leaning your weight on what God has revealed about himself, especially when your circumstances suggest otherwise. Scripture builds trust the same way every time: by remembering what God has already done, telling him the truth about what you feel now, and obeying the next small thing while the outcome is still hidden.
How do I know God's will for my life?
Scripture speaks of God's will in two ways. His revealed will is what he has already told us plainly and is not in doubt: holiness, love, gratitude, obedience. His hidden will concerns the future and is not given to us in advance. The Bible directs almost all its attention to the first, and it teaches us to make wise decisions inside it rather than to decode secret guidance.
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
The fear of the LORD is not terror of an unpredictable God. It is the reverence of a creature who has rightly understood who God is, holy, sovereign and near, and who therefore takes him seriously in every decision. Proverbs calls it the beginning of knowledge, because a person who has not reckoned with God has not yet begun to understand anything rightly.