Proverbs 20
20
1Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled.
It is not wise to get drunk on them.
2A king’s anger is like the roar of a lion.
Making him angry may cost you your life.
3Foolish people are always getting into quarrels.
But avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.
4A lazy farmer doesn’t plow when he should.
So at harvest time he has no crop.
5Understanding a person’s thoughts is as hard as getting water from a deep well.
But someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.
6Many people claim to be loyal.
But it is hard to find someone who really can be trusted.
7The good person who lives an honest life
is a blessing to his children.
8A king sits on his throne and judges people.
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 a child is known by his behavior.
His actions show if he is innocent and good.
12The Lord has made both these things:
Ears that can hear and eyes that can see.
13If you love to sleep, you will be poor.
If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food.
14The buyer says, “This is bad. It’s no good.”
Then he goes away and brags about what he bought.
15There is plenty of gold, and there are many rubies.
But there are only a few people who speak with knowledge.
16Take the coat of someone who promises to pay what a stranger owes.
Keep it until he pays the stranger’s bills.
17When a person gets food dishonestly, it may taste sweet at first.
But later he will feel as if he has 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.
20Whoever curses his father or mother
will die like a light going out in darkness.
21Wealth that is gotten quickly in the beginning
will do you no good in the end.
22Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the evil you did.”
Wait for the Lord. He will make things right.
23The Lord hates dishonest weights.
And dishonest scales do not please him.
24The Lord decides what a person does.
So no one can understand 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 finds out who the evil people are.
Then he punishes them.
27The Lord looks into a person’s feelings.
He searches through a person’s thoughts.
28Loyalty and truth keep a king in power.
He continues to rule if he is loyal.
29Young men are admired for their strength.
Old men are honored for their experience.
30Hard punishment will get rid of evil.
Whippings can change the evil person’s heart.
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Proverbs 20: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.