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Proverbs 20

On Life and Conduct

1Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink a brawler,

And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

2The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion;

One who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

3Avoiding strife is an honor for a person,

But any fool will quarrel.

4The lazy one does not plow after the autumn,

So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.

5A plan in the heart of a person is like deep water,

But a person of understanding draws it out.

6Many a person proclaims his own loyalty,

But who can find a trustworthy person?

7A righteous person who walks in his integrity—

How blessed are his sons after him.

8A king who sits on the throne of justice

Disperses all evil with his eyes.

9Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,

I am pure from my sin”?

10Differing weights and differing measures,

Both of them are abominable to the Lord.

11It is by his deeds that a boy distinguishes himself,

If his conduct is pure and right.

12The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

The Lord has made both of them.

13Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;

Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

14“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

But when he goes his way, then he boasts.

15There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;

But lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

16Take his garment when he becomes guarantor for a stranger;

And for foreigners, seize a pledge from him.

17Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person,

But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

18Prepare plans by consultation,

And make war by wise guidance.

19One who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets;

Therefore do not associate with a gossip.

20He who curses his father or his mother,

His lamp will go out in time of darkness.

21An inheritance gained in a hurry at the beginning

Will not be blessed in the end.

22Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

23Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,

And a false scale is not good.

24A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord;

How then can a person understand his way?

25It is a trap for a person to say carelessly, “It is holy!”

And after the vows to make inquiry.

26A wise king scatters the wicked,

And drives a threshing wheel over them.

27The spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord,

Searching all the innermost parts of his being.

28Loyalty and truth watch over the king,

And he upholds his throne by loyalty.

29The glory of young men is their strength,

And the honor of old men is their gray hair.

30Bruising wounds clean away evil,

And blows cleanse the innermost parts.

Proverbs

Chapter 20

20 of 31