Proverbs 20
20
1Wine ⌞makes people⌟ mock,
liquor ⌞makes them⌟ noisy,
and everyone under their influence is unwise.
2The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion.
Whoever makes him angry forfeits his life.
3Avoiding a quarrel is honorable.
After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.
4A lazy person does not plow in the fall.#20:4 Fall was the start of the planting season in Palestine.
He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.
5A motive in the human heart is like deep water,
and a person who has understanding draws it out.
6Many people declare themselves loyal,
but who can find someone who is ⌞really⌟ trustworthy?
7A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity.
Blessed are his children after he is gone.
8A king who sits on his throne to judge sifts out every evil with his eyes.
9Who can say,
“I’ve made my heart pure.
I’m cleansed from my sin”?
10A double standard of weights and measures—
both are disgusting to the Lord.
11Even a child makes himself known by his actions,
whether his deeds are pure or right.
12The ear that hears,
the eye that sees—
the Lord made them both.
13Do not love sleep or you will end up poor.
Keep your eyes open, and you will have plenty to eat.
14“Bad! Bad!” says the buyer.
Then, as he goes away, he brags ⌞about his bargain⌟.
15There are gold and plenty of jewels,
but the lips of knowledge are precious gems.
16Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
and hold responsible the person who makes a loan on behalf of a foreigner.
17Food gained dishonestly tastes sweet to a person,
but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18Plans are confirmed by getting advice,
and with guidance one wages war.
19Whoever goes around as a gossip tells secrets.
Do not associate with a person whose mouth is always open.
20The lamp of the person who curses his father and mother
will be snuffed out in total darkness.#20:20 Or “snuffed out as darkness approaches.”
21An inheritance quickly obtained in the beginning
will never be blessed in the end.
22Do not say, “I’ll get even with you!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will save you.
23A double standard of weights is disgusting to the Lord,
and dishonest scales are no good.
24The Lord is the one who directs a person’s steps.
How then can anyone understand his own way?
25It is a trap for a person to say impulsively, “This is a holy offering!”
and later to have second thoughts about those vows.
26A wise king scatters the wicked
and then runs them over.
27A person’s soul is the Lord’s lamp.
It searches his entire innermost being.
28Mercy and truth protect a king,
and with mercy he maintains his throne.
29While the glory of young men is their strength,
the splendor of older people is their silver hair.
30Brutal beatings cleanse away wickedness.
Such beatings cleanse the innermost being.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 20: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 20
20
1Wine and beer make people lose control; they get loud and stumble around. And that is foolish.
2An angry king is like a roaring lion. If you make him angry, you could lose your life.
3People who refuse to argue deserve respect. Any fool can start an argument.
4Some people are too lazy to plant seeds. So at harvest time, they look for food and find nothing.
5Getting information from someone can be like getting water from a deep well. If you are smart, you will draw it out.
6You might call many people your “friends,” but it is hard to find someone who can really be trusted.
7When people live good, honest lives, their children are blessed.
8When the king sits and judges people, he must look carefully to separate the evil from the good.
9Can anyone say their heart is pure? Who can say, “I am free from sin”?
10The Lord hates for people to use the wrong weights and measures to cheat others.
11Even children show what they are like by the things they do. You can see if their actions are pure and right.
12It was the Lord who gave us eyes for seeing and ears for hearing.
13If you love to sleep, you will become poor. Use your time working and you will have plenty to eat.
14When buying something, people always say, “It’s no good. It costs too much.” Then they go away and tell others what a good deal they got.
15The right knowledge can bring you gold, pearls, and other expensive things.
16If someone promises to pay the debt of a stranger, get a coat or something from him to keep until the debt is paid.
17It may seem to be a good thing to get something by cheating, but in the end, it will be worth nothing.
18Get good advice when you make your plans. Before you start a war, find good advisors.
19You cannot trust someone who would talk about things told in private. So don’t be friends with someone who talks too much.
20Those who would curse their father or mother are like a lamp that goes out on the darkest night.
21If your wealth was easy to get, it will not be worth much to you.#20:21 Or “An inheritance greedily guarded in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”
22Don’t ever say, “I’ll pay them back for what they did to me!” Wait for the Lord. He will make things right.
23The Lord hates for people to use the wrong weights to cheat others. It is wrong to use scales that are not accurate.
24The Lord guides our steps, and we never know where he will lead us.#20:24 Or “A man’s steps are from the Lord, and people don’t understand his way.”
25Think carefully before you promise to give something to God. Later, you might wish you had not made that promise.
26Like a farmer who separates wheat from the chaff, a wise king will decide who is wrong and crush them.
27Your spirit is like a lamp to the Lord. He is able to see into your deepest parts.#20:27 Or “The Lord examines your breath and searches your deepest thoughts.”
28A king who is loyal and true will keep his power. Loyalty will keep his kingdom strong.
29We admire a young man for his strength, but we respect an old man for his gray hair.
30A beating can remove evil and make you completely clean.#20:30 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International