Proverbs 20
1 Wine is, a scoffer, and strong drink, a brawler, every one therefore who erreth therein, is unwise.
Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
2 The growl as of a young lion, is the dread inspired by a king, he that provoketh him, endangereth his own life.
Being afraid of a king when he is angry is like [SIM] being afraid of a lion when it growls/roars; if you cause the king to become angry, he may execute you.
3 Honour, hath the man who sitteth away from strife, but, any fool, may break through.
[People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
4 By reason of the autumn, a sluggard will not plough, therefore shall he beg in harvest, and there be nothing.
[If] a lazy man does not plow [his fields at the right/proper time], he will look for [crops] at harvest [time], but there will be nothing there.
5 Deep water, is counsel in a man’s heart, but, a man of understanding, will draw it out.
[Just] as it is difficult to bring up water from a deep well, it is difficult to know what people are thinking, but someone who has good sense/insight will be able to find out what people are thinking.
6 A kind man one may call, a great man, —but, a faithful man, who can find?
Many people proclaim that they can be trusted [to do what they say that they will do], but it is very difficult to find [RHQ] someone who can really be trusted.
7 As for a righteous man, walking in his integrity, how happy are his children after him!
If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
8 A king sitting on the throne of judgment, scattereth, with his eyes, all wrong.
A king who sits on his throne to judge people can [easily] [MTY] find out what things that people have done are good and what things are evil.
9 Who can say, I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?
There is no one [RHQ] who can truthfully say, “I do not know of any wrong things that I have done; I have (gotten rid of all my sinful behavior/quit doing what is sinful).”
10 Divers weights, and divers measures, an abomination to Yahweh, are they, both.
Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
11 Even, by his doings, doth a youth make himself known, whether, pure and upright, be his work.
Even children show by what they do whether they are good or not; they show whether (what they do/their behavior) is honest and right [or not].
12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Yahweh hath made them, both.
Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
13 Do not love sleep, lest thou come to poverty, open thine eyes, be satisfied with bread.
If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.
14 Bad! bad! saith the buyer, but, going his way, then, he boasteth.
People [look at things that they are about] to buy, [and in order to get it for a lower price sometimes they] say, “(It is no good/It is poor quality),” but [after they buy it], they go and boast [about having bought it for a cheap price].
15 There are gold, and an abundance of corals, but, precious jewels, are the lips of knowledge.
Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
16 Take his garment who is pledge for a stranger, —then, for a woman unknown, accept him as surety.
If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it [DOU], [you deserve to] have someone take your coat from you.
17 Sweet to a man, may be the bread of falsehood, but, afterward, shall his mouth be filled with gravel.
People [may] think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good, but later [they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy] eating gravel/sand.
18 Plans—by counsel, shalt thou establish, and, with concerted measures, make thou war.
When people give you good advice, [if you do what they suggest], your plans will succeed; so be sure to get good advice from wise people before you start fighting a war.
19 A revealer of secrets, is one who goeth about talebearing, therefore, with him who openeth his lips, shalt thou not have fellowship.
Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
20 Whoso revileth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in deep darkness.
If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
21 An inheritance hastily gotten at the beginning, the latter end thereof, shall not bring blessing.
If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die, you will not receive any good/blessing from it.
22 Do not say, I will requite wrong! Wait thou for Yahweh that he may save thee.
Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;” wait for Yahweh [to do something about it], and he will (help you/[do what is right]).
23 An abomination to Yahweh, are divers weights, and, deceptive balances, are not good.
Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
24 From Yahweh, are a man’s steps, a son of earth, then—how can he discern his way?
Yahweh is the one who has decided what will happen to us, so (how can we (understand/know) what will happen before it happens?/we humans certainly cannot (understand/know) what will happen before it happens.) [RHQ]
25 It is a snare to a man, that he should rashly cry Holy! and, after making vows, to reflect!
You should think carefully before you solemnly promise to dedicate something to God, because later you might be sorry you have promised to do it.
26 A wise king, winnoweth out the lawless, when he hath turned over them the wheel.
Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
27 The lamp of Yahweh, is the spirit of a son of earth, searching all the chambers of the inner man.
Our consciences are [like] lamps that Yahweh [has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking] [MET]; they reveal what is hidden deep in our (minds/inner beings).
28 Lovingkindness and faithfulness, will guard a king, —therefore should he support, with lovingkindness, his throne.
Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.
29 The beauty of young men, is their strength, and, the ornament of old men, a hoary head.
We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
30 Blows that cut in, cleanse away wickedness, and, smitings, [enter] the chambers of the inner man.
When we are beaten or whipped, it [can] cause us to quit doing what is evil in our lives; when someone wounds us [by punishing us], it [can] cause our behavior to become good.
