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.
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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 produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls.
Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.
2The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;
to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
3Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
only fools insist on quarreling.
4Those too lazy to plow in the right season
will have no food at the harvest.
5Though good advice lies deep within the heart,
a person with understanding will draw it out.
6Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly reliable?
7The godly walk with integrity;
blessed are their children who follow them.
8When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence,
distinguishing the bad from the good.
9Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart;
I am pure and free from sin”?
10False weights and unequal measures#20:10 Hebrew A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah.—
the Lord detests double standards of every kind.
11Even children are known by the way they act,
whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.
12Ears to hear and eyes to see—
both are gifts from the Lord.
13If you love sleep, you will end in poverty.
Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!
14The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,”
then brags about getting a bargain!
15Wise words are more valuable
than much gold and many rubies.
16Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.#20:16 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text is for a promiscuous woman.
17Stolen bread tastes sweet,
but it turns to gravel in the mouth.
18Plans succeed through good counsel;
don’t go to war without wise advice.
19A gossip goes around telling secrets,
so don’t hang around with chatterers.
20If you insult your father or mother,
your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.
21An inheritance obtained too early in life
is not a blessing in the end.
22Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.”
Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
23The Lord detests double standards;
he is not pleased by dishonest scales.
24The Lord directs our steps,
so why try to understand everything along the way?
25Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God
and only later counting the cost.
26A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat,
then runs his threshing wheel over them.
27The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit,#20:27 Or The human spirit is the Lord’s light.
exposing every hidden motive.
28Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;
his throne is made secure through love.
29The glory of the young is their strength;
the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.
30Physical punishment cleanses away evil;#20:30 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
such discipline purifies the heart.
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