Proverbs 20

1Wine is a scoffer, strong drink a roisterer;No one who is muddled by them will ever grow wise.

2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;Whoever provokes it forfeits life.

3It is honorable for a man to desist from strife,But every fool becomes embroiled.

4In winter sluggards do not plow;At harvesttime they seek, and find nothing.

5The designs in a person’s mind are deep waters,But a man of understanding can draw them out.

6He calls many a man his loyal friend,But who can find a faithful man?

7The righteous live blamelessly;Happy are their children who come after them.

8The king seated on the throne of judgmentCan winnow out all evil by his glance.

9Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,I am purged of my sin”?

10False weights and false measures—Both are an abomination to GOD.

11Children may be dissembling in their behaviorEven though their actions are blameless and proper.

12The ear that hears, the eye that sees— GOD made them both.

13Do not love sleep lest you be impoverished;Keep your eyes open and you will have plenty of food.

14“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,Then goes away in self-congratulation.

15Gold is plentiful, jewels abundant,But wise speech is a precious object.

16Seize his garment, for he stood surety for another; Take it as a pledge, [for he stood surety] for an unfamiliar woman.

17Bread gained by fraud may be tasty to a man,But later his mouth will be filled with gravel.

18Plans laid in council will succeed;Wage war with stratagems.

19Whoever gives away secrets is base;Do not take up with a big-mouth.

20Whoever reviles their father or mother,Will be without lamplight when darkness comes.

21An estate acquired in haste at the outsetWill not be blessed in the end.

22Do not say, “I will requite evil”;Put your hope in GOD and you will be delivered.

23False weights are an abomination to GOD;Dishonest scales are not right.

24People’s steps are decided by GOD;What do mortals know about their own way?

25It is a snare for mortals to pledge a sacred gift rashly And after the vows to reconsider.

26A wise king winnows out the wicked,And turns the wheel upon them.

27A mortal’s lifebreath is GOD’s lampRevealing all their inmost parts.

28Faithfulness and loyalty protect the king;He maintains his throne by faithfulness.

29The glory of young men is their strength;The majesty of elders is their gray hair.

30Bruises and wounds are repayment for evil,Striking at one’s inmost parts.