Proverbs 20
20
1Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled;
it is not wise to get drunk on them.
2An angry king is like a roaring lion.
Making him angry may cost you your life.
3Foolish people are always fighting,
but avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.
4Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should;
they expect a harvest, but there is none.
5People’s thoughts can be like a deep well,
but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.
6Many people claim to be loyal,
but it is hard to find a trustworthy person.
7The good people who live honest lives
will be a blessing to their children.
8When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he knows evil when he sees it.
9No one can say, “I am innocent;
I have never done anything wrong.”
10The Lord hates both these things:
dishonest weights and dishonest measures.
11Even children are known by their behavior;
their actions show if they are innocent and good.
12The Lord has made both these things:
ears to hear and eyes to see.
13If you love to sleep, you will be poor.
If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food.
14Buyers say, “This is bad. It’s no good.”
Then they go away and brag about what they bought.
15There is gold and plenty of rubies,
but only a few people speak with knowledge.
16Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger’s debts,
and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.
17Stolen food may taste sweet at first,
but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel.
18Get advice if you want your plans to work.
If you go to war, get the advice of others.
19Gossips can’t keep secrets,
so avoid people who talk too much.
20Those who curse their father or mother
will be like a light going out in darkness.
21Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning
will do you no good in the end.
22Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.”
Wait for the Lord, and he will make things right.
23The Lord hates dishonest weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.
24The Lord decides what a person will do;
no one understands what his life is all about.
25It’s dangerous to promise something to God too quickly.
After you’ve thought about it, it may be too late.
26A wise king sorts out the evil people,
and he punishes them as they deserve.
27The Lord looks deep inside people
and searches through their thoughts.
28Loyalty and truth keep a king in power;
he continues to rule if he is loyal.
29The young glory in their strength,
and the old are honored for their gray hair.
30Hard punishment will get rid of evil,
and whippings can change an evil heart.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 20: NCV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 20
20
1Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
2A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;
those who anger him forfeit their lives.
3It is to one’s honour to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
4Sluggards do not plough in season;
so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
5The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
but one who has insight draws them out.
6Many claim to have unfailing love,
but a faithful person who can find?
7The righteous lead blameless lives;
blessed are their children after them.
8When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he winnows out all evil with his eyes.
9Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin’?
10Differing weights and differing measures –
the Lord detests them both.
11Even small children are known by their actions,
so is their conduct really pure and upright?
12Ears that hear and eyes that see –
the Lord has made them both.
13Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay awake and you will have food to spare.
14‘It’s no good, it’s no good!’ says the buyer –
then goes off and boasts about the purchase.
15Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
16Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
17Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,
but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
18Plans are established by seeking advice;
so if you wage war, obtain guidance.
19A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid anyone who talks too much.
20If someone curses their father or mother,
their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21An inheritance claimed too soon
will not be blessed at the end.
22Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’
Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.
23The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.
24A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.
How then can anyone understand their own way?
25It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider one’s vows.
26A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he drives the threshing wheel over them.
27The human spirit is#20:27 Or A person’s words are the lamp of the Lord
that sheds light on one’s inmost being.
28Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure.
29The glory of young men is their strength,
grey hair the splendour of the old.
30Blows and wounds scrub away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.