Proverbs 20
1 Wine turns you into a mocker, alcohol makes you aggressive; you're stupid to be deceived by drink.
It is a luxurious thing, wine, and inebriation is tumultuous. Anyone who is delighted by this will not be wise.
2 When a king gets terribly angry, he sounds like a roaring lion; anyone who makes him furious is liable to be killed.
Just like the roaring of a lion, so also is the dread of a king. Whoever provokes him sins in his own soul.
3 Avoiding conflict is the proper thing to do, but stupid people are quick to argue.
Honor is for the man who separates himself from contentions. But all the foolish meddle in altercations.
4 Slackers don't sow when they should, so when harvest comes they don't have anything.
Because of the cold, the lazy one was not willing to plough. Therefore, in the summer, he will beg, and it will not be given to him.
5 Discovering what someone is planning in their mind is like looking at deep water, but a person who has understanding will find out.
Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep waters. But a wise man will draw it out.
6 Many people tell you they're loyal, but can you find someone really trustworthy?
Many men are called merciful. But who will find a faithful man?
7 Good people live honestly; how happy are their children if they follow them.
The just who walks in his simplicity shall leave behind him blessed sons.
8 When a king sits in judgment he recognizes all that isn't right.
The king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his gaze.
9 Who can claim, “I've made sure my conscience is clean; I've purified myself from sin”?
Who is able to say: “My heart is clean. I am pure from sin?”
10 The Lord hates both dishonest weights and dishonest measures.
Diverse weights, diverse measures: both are abominable with God.
11 Even children reveal what they're like by what they do, whether their actions are good and right.
A child may be understood by his interests: whether his works may be clean and upright.
12 The Lord made our ears to hear and our eyes to see.
The hearing ear and the seeing eye: the Lord has made them both.
13 If you love sleeping you'll become poor. Wake up and get busy, and you'll have plenty to eat.
Do not love sleep, lest deprivation oppress you. Open your eyes and be satisfied with bread.
14 “It's really rubbish,” says the one buying, but afterwards goes and boasts to others about making a good deal.
“It is bad, it is bad,” says every buyer; and when he has withdrawn, then he will boast.
15 There's gold and plenty of expensive gemstones, but talking sense is a more valuable jewel.
There is gold, and there are a multitude of jewels. But lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.
16 If someone guarantees a stranger's debt with their cloak, be sure to take it! Make sure you have whatever is pledged to foreigners!
Take away the vestments of him who stands up to vouch for a stranger, and take a pledge from him instead of from outsiders.
17 Food you get by cheating may taste sweet, but afterwards it will be like a mouthful of gravel.
The bread of lies is sweet to a man. But afterwards, his mouth will be filled with pebbles.
18 With sound advice, plans are successful; if you're going to war, make sure you have good guidance.
Plans are strengthened by counsels. And wars are to be handled by governments.
19 A gossip goes around revealing secrets; stay away from people who talk a lot.
Do not become involved with him who reveals mysteries, and who walks deceitfully, and who enlarges his lips.
20 Anyone who curses their father or mother will have their light put out and end in utter darkness.
Whoever curses his father and mother, his lamp will be extinguished in the midst of darkness.
21 Wealth gained too soon won't do you any good in the end.
When an inheritance is obtained hastily in the beginning, in the end it will be without a blessing.
22 Don't say, “I'll get you back for doing me wrong.” Leave it to the Lord, and he'll help you.
Do not say, “I will repay evil.” Wait for the Lord, and he will free you.
23 The Lord hates incorrect weights; using dishonest scales is wrong.
Diverse weights are an abomination with the Lord. A deceitful balance is not good.
24 The Lord shows us the way to go, so how would we decide for ourselves?
The steps of men are directed by the Lord. But who is the man able to understand his own way?
25 It's a mistake to make a promise to God and then have second thoughts about it later.
It is ruin for a man to devour what is holy, or, after making vows, to retract them.
26 A wise king separates out the wicked by winnowing and punishes them by threshing.
A wise king scatters the impious and bends an archway over them.
27 The Lord's light shines on the conscience, revealing our deepest thoughts.
The spirit of a man is a lamp to the Lord, which investigates all the secrets of the inner self.
28 Trustworthy love and faithfulness keep a king safe; trustworthy love supports his rule.
Mercy and truth guard the king, and his throne is strengthened by clemency.
29 Young men value their strength, but the old value even more the wisdom that comes with gray hair.
The joy of youths is their strength. And the dignity of old men is their grey hairs.
30 Wounds and blows clean away what's evil; beatings clean what's deep down inside.
The bruise of a wound, as well as scourges, shall wipe away evils in the more secret places of the inner self.
