Proverbs 20
20
1Wine is a mocker; beer a carouser.
Those it leads astray won’t become wise.
2A king is as terrifying as a lion’s growl.
Those who anger him may lose their life.
3It is honorable to back off from a fight,
but fools jump right in.
4The lazy don’t plow during winter;
at harvest they look but find nothing.
5Advice comes from the deep waters of the heart;
those with understanding can draw it out.
6Many people will say that they are loyal,
but who can find a reliable person?
7The righteous live with integrity;
happy are their children who come after them.
8A king who sits on his judgment throne
sifts out all evil with his eyes.
9Who can say, “I’m innocent to the core;
I’m cleansed from my sin”?
10False weights and measures—
the LORD detests them both.
11Even young people are known by their actions,
whether their conduct is pure and upright.
12Ears to hear and eyes to see—
the LORD made them both.
13Don’t love sleep or you will be poor;
stay alert and you will have plenty to eat.
14The buyer says, “Bad, bad,”
but then goes away and brags.
15Much gold and many pearls exist,
but wise speech is the most precious jewel.
16Take the garment of the person who secures a loan for a stranger;
take his pledge for a foreigner.
17Stolen bread is sweet,
but afterward the mouth is full of gravel.
18Plans are firmed up by advice;
wage wars with good guidance.
19Gossips reveal secrets;
don’t associate with those who talk too much.
20Those who curse their father or mother—
their lamp will be snuffed out when it becomes dark.
21Inheritance gained quickly at first
won’t bless later on.
22Don’t say, “I’ll repay the evildoer!”
Wait for the LORD, and he will save you.
23The LORD detests false weights;
deceptive scales aren’t right.
24A person’s steps are from the LORD;
how then can people understand their path?
25It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and only reflect after making the promise.
26A wise king sifts out the wicked,
and runs them over with a wheel.
27The breath of a person is the lamp of the LORD,
searching all the inmost parts.
28Kindness and faithfulness protect the king;
he supports his throne by kindness.
29Strength is the glory of young men;
gray hair is the splendor of old age.
30Blows and bruises remove evil;
beatings cleanse the inner parts.
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Proverbs 20: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 20
20
1 It is a luxurious thing, wine, and inebriation is tumultuous. Anyone who is delighted by this will not be wise.
2 Just like the roaring of a lion, so also is the dread of a king. Whoever provokes him sins in his own soul.
3 Honor is for the man who separates himself from contentions. But all the foolish meddle in altercations.
4 Because of the cold, the lazy one was not willing to plough. Therefore, in the summer, he will beg, and it will not be given to him.
5 Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep waters. But a wise man will draw it out.
6 Many men are called merciful. But who will find a faithful man?
7 The just who walks in his simplicity shall leave behind him blessed sons.
8 The king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his gaze.
9 Who is able to say: "My heart is clean. I am pure from sin?"
10 Diverse weights, diverse measures: both are abominable with God.
11 A child may be understood by his interests: whether his works may be clean and upright.
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye: the Lord has made them both.
13 Do not love sleep, lest deprivation oppress you. Open your eyes and be satisfied with bread.
14 "It is bad, it is bad," says every buyer; and when he has withdrawn, then he will boast.
15 There is gold, and there are a multitude of jewels. But lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.
16 Take away the vestments of him who stands up to vouch for a stranger, and take a pledge from him instead of from outsiders.
17 The bread of lies is sweet to a man. But afterwards, his mouth will be filled with pebbles.
18 Plans are strengthened by counsels. And wars are to be handled by governments.
19 Do not become involved with him who reveals mysteries, and who walks deceitfully, and who enlarges his lips.
20 Whoever curses his father and mother, his lamp will be extinguished in the midst of darkness.
21 When an inheritance is obtained hastily in the beginning, in the end it will be without a blessing.
22 Do not say, "I will repay evil." Wait for the Lord, and he will free you.
23 Diverse weights are an abomination with the Lord. A deceitful balance is not good.
24 The steps of men are directed by the Lord. But who is the man able to understand his own way?
25 It is ruin for a man to devour what is holy, or, after making vows, to retract them.
26 A wise king scatters the impious and bends an archway over them.
27 The spirit of a man is a lamp to the Lord, which investigates all the secrets of the inner self.
28 Mercy and truth guard the king, and his throne is strengthened by clemency.
29 The joy of youths is their strength. And the dignity of old men is their grey hairs.
30 The bruise of a wound, as well as scourges, shall wipe away evils in the more secret places of the inner self.
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