‏ Proverbs 20

1Wine causes you to make fun of others, and beer causes you to start fights.
Anyone who is led astray by them is not wise.

2A king’s anger brings terror like a lion’s roar.
Anyone who makes him angry may lose their life.

3Avoiding a fight brings honor to a person.
But every foolish person is quick to argue.

4Anyone who refuses to work doesn’t plow in the right season.
When they look for a crop at harvest time, they don’t find it.

5The purposes of a person’s heart are like deep water.
But one who has understanding brings them out.

6Many claim to have love that never fails.
But who can find a faithful person?

7Those who do what is right live without blame.
Blessed are their children after them.

8A king sits on his throne to judge.
He gets rid of all evil when he sees it.

9No one can say, “I have kept my heart pure.
I’m ‘clean,’ and I haven’t sinned.”

10The Lord hates two things.
He hates weights that weigh things heavier or lighter than they really are.
He also hates measures that measure things larger or smaller than they really are.

11Even small children are known by their actions.
So is their conduct really pure and right?

12The Lord has made two things.
He has made ears that hear.
He has also made eyes that see.

13Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor.
Stay awake, and you will have more food than you need.

14“It’s no good. It’s no good!” says a buyer.
Then off they go and brag about what they bought.

15There is gold, and there are plenty of rubies.
But lips that speak knowledge are a priceless jewel.

16Take the coat of one who puts up money for what a stranger owes.
Hold it until you get paid back if it is done for an outsider.

17Food gained by cheating tastes sweet.
But you will end up with a mouth full of gravel.

18Plans are made by asking for guidance.
So if you go to war, get good advice.

19A person who talks about others tells secrets.
So avoid anyone who talks too much.

20If anyone asks for bad things to happen to their father or mother,
that person’s lamp will be blown out in total darkness.

21Property that you claim too soon
will not be blessed in the end.

22Don’t say, “I’ll get even with you for the wrong you did to me!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will make things right for you.

23The Lord hates weights that weigh things heavier or lighter than they really are.
Scales that are not honest don’t please him.

24The Lord directs a person’s steps.
So how can anyone understand their own way?

25A person is trapped if they make a hasty promise to God
and only later thinks about what they said.

26A wise king gets rid of evil people.
He runs the threshing wheel over them.

27The spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord.
It lights up what is deep down inside them.

28Love and truth keep a king safe.
Faithful love makes his throne secure.

29Young men are proud of their strength.
Gray hair brings honor to old men.

30Blows and wounds scrub evil away.
And beatings make you pure deep down inside.