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 honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
4Sluggards do not plow 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,
gray hair the splendor of the old.
30Blows and wounds scrub away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.
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Proverbs 20: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 20
20
1Wine is arrogant, strong drink is riotous;
none who are intoxicated by them are wise.#The cause stands for its effect (wine, drunken behavior). In Proverbs wine is a sign of prosperity and a symbol of feasting (3:10; 4:17; 9:2, 5) but also a potential threat to wisdom as in 20:1; 21:17; 23:29–35. #Prv 23:29–35.
2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;#Prv 19:12.
those who incur his anger forfeit their lives.
3A person gains honor by avoiding strife,
while every fool starts a quarrel.#The honor that one might seek to gain from fighting comes of itself to the person who refrains from fighting.
4In seedtime sluggards do not plow;
when they look for the harvest, it is not there.
5The intention of the human heart is deep water,
but the intelligent draw it forth.#The heart is where human plans are made and stored; they remain “deep water” until words reveal them to others. The wise know how to draw up those waters, i.e., express them. Cf. 18:4. #Prv 18:4.
6Many say, “My loyal friend,”
but who can find someone worthy of trust?
7The just walk in integrity;
happy are their children after them!
8A king seated on the throne of judgment
dispels all evil with his glance.#The royal throne is established in justice and the king is the agent of that justice.
9Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,#1 Kgs 8:46; 2 Chr 6:36; Eccl 7:20; 1 Jn 1:8.
I am cleansed of my sin”?#A claim to sinlessness can be merely self-deception; see 16:2; cf. also 15:11.
10Varying weights, varying measures,
are both an abomination to the Lord.#Prv 11:1; 20:23.
11In their actions even children can playact
though their deeds be blameless and right.#The verb in colon A can mean either “to make oneself known” or “to play another person” (as in Gn 42:7 and 1 Kgs 14:5, 6). The second meaning makes a better parallel to colon B. The meaning is that if a child can playact, an adult can do so even more. Actions do not always reveal character.
12The ear that hears, the eye that sees—
the Lord has made them both.#Human judgments are not ultimate; the Lord expects proper use of these faculties.
13Do not love sleep lest you be reduced to poverty;
keep your eyes open, have your fill of food.
14“Bad, bad!” says the buyer,
then goes away only to boast.#Bartering invites playacting and masking one’s true intent. The truth of words depends on their context.
15One can put on gold and abundant jewels,
but wise lips are the most precious ornament.#Wisdom is said to be preferable to gold in 3:14; 8:10, 19; 16:16. Colon B suggests that the gold and jewelry here are ornaments for the face (cf. Gn 24:53; Ex 3:22; Is 61:10). Wise lips are the most beautiful adornment, for they display the wisdom of the heart.
16Take the garment of the one who became surety for a stranger;#Prv 27:13.
if for foreigners, exact the pledge!#The text is not clear. See 27:13. Caution in becoming surety is always advised (cf. 6:1–3), and it is especially advisable with strangers.
17Bread earned by deceit is sweet,
but afterward the mouth is filled with gravel.
18Plans made with advice succeed;
with wise direction wage your war.
19A slanderer reveals secrets;
so have nothing to do with a babbler!
20Those who curse father or mother—
their lamp will go out#Their lamp will go out: misfortune, even death, awaits them; cf. 13:9; Ex 21:17. in the dead of night.#Prv 30:11, 17; Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9; Mt 15:4.
21Possessions greedily guarded at the outset
will not be blessed in the end.#By definition, an inheritance is not gained by one’s own efforts but is received as a gift. If, when one first receives the inheritance, one drives everyone away, one treats it as if one acquired it by one’s own efforts. In an agricultural society, an inheritance would often be a field that would require God’s blessing to be fertile.
22Do not say, “I will repay evil!”
Wait for the Lord, who will help you.#Appointing oneself an agent of divine retribution is dangerous. Better to wait for God to effect justice. Cf. 24:17–18. #Prv 24:29; Sir 28:1; Mt 5:39; Rom 12:17, 19; 1 Thes 5:15; 1 Pt 3:9.
23Varying weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.#Prv 11:1; 20:10.
24Our steps are from the Lord;#Prv 16:9.
how, then, can mortals understand their way?#An indication of the Lord’s inscrutable providence; cf. Jer 10:23; see Prv 21:2; cf. also 14:12.
25It is a trap to pledge rashly a sacred gift,
and after a vow, then to reflect.#This verse cautions against making vows without proper reflection; cf. Dt 23:22–25; Eccl 5:4–5.
26A wise king winnows the wicked,
and threshes them under the cartwheel.#The king is responsible for effecting justice. Judgment is portrayed in agricultural imagery—exposing grain to a current of air so that the chaff is blown away, and passing a wheel over the cereal to break the husk. Winnowing as image for judgment is found throughout the Bible.
27A lamp from the Lord is human life-breath;
it searches through the inmost being.#A parallel is drawn between the life-breath that is God’s gift (Jb 32:8; 33:2) coursing through the human body (Is 2:22) and the lamp of God, which can be a symbol of divine scrutiny. In Zep 1:12, God declares, “And in that day I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.”
28His steadfast loyalty safeguards the king,
and he upholds his throne by justice.#Prv 16:12.
29The glory of the young is their strength,
and the dignity of the old is gray hair.#Prv 16:31.
30Evil is cleansed away by bloody lashes,
and a scourging to the inmost being.
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