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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Proverbs 20: GW
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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 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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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.