Proverbs 19:1

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity ¹  than one who is perverse in his speech ²  and is a fool. ³ 

Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

It is better to be poor and honest than to be a fool and dishonest.

Better to be poor and honest than a rich person no one can trust.

Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are twisted.

Better the poor walking in integrity than one perverse of speech who is a fool.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity ¹  than one who is perverse in his speech ²  and is a fool. ³ 

¹ sn People should follow honesty even if it leads to poverty (e.g., Prov 18:23; 19:22).

² tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy for what one says with his lips. The expression “perverse in his lips” refers to speech that is morally perverted. Some medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac, and Tg. Prov 19:1 have “his ways” rather than “his lips” (e.g., Prov 28:6); cf. NAB.

³ tc The Syriac and Tg. Prov 19:1 read “rich” instead of MT “fool.” This makes tighter antithetical parallelism than MT and is followed by NAB. However, the MT makes sense as it stands; this is an example of metonymical parallelism. The MT reading is also supported by the LXX. The Hebrew construction uses וְהוּא (vÿhu’), “and he [is],” before “fool.” This may be rendered “one who is perverse while a fool” or “a fool at the same time.”