Proverbs 20
1 Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
El vino te transforma en un burlador, y el alcohol te vuelve agresivo. Si te dejas engañar por la bebida, eres un tonto.
2 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.
Cuando un rey se enoja en gran manera, se escuchará como un león rugiente. Quien haya causado su enojo corre el riesgo de ir a la muerte.
3 [People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
Evitar el conflicto es hacer lo correcto. Pero los necios se apresuran a iniciar la discusión.
4 [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.
Los holgazanes no salen a sembrar cuando deberían. Por eso, cuando llega la cosecha, no tienen nada que recoger.
5 [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.
Descubrir lo que piensan los demás es como mirar en aguas profundas. Pero el que tiene entendimiento los conocerá.
6 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.
Muchos te dirán que son leales, pero ¿podrás hallar a una persona digna de confianza?
7 If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
El pueblo de Dios vive con honestidad. ¡Cuán felices son sus hijos si siguen tal ejemplo!
8 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.
Cuando el rey se sienta a emitir un juicio, puede ver lo que no está bien.
9 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).”
¿Quién puede decir: “Estoy seguro de que mi conciencia está limpia y estoy limpio de pecado”?
10 Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
El Señor aborrece el peso falso así como la medida falsa.
11 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].
Hasta los niños revelan su carácter por lo que hacen, ya sean acciones buenas o malas.
12 Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
El Señor nos dio orejas para oír y ojos para ver.
13 If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.
Si te gusta dormir, terminarás pobre. Levántate y trabaja, para que tengas qué comer.
14 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].
“Es basura”, dice el que compra, pero luego se jacta delante de otros de haber hecho un buen negocio.
15 Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
Hay oro y muchas piedras preciosas. Pero hablar con sensatez es la joya más valiosa.
16 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.
Si alguno sirve como codeudor de un extranjero dando su abrigo como garantía de pago, asegúrate de tomarlo. ¡Toma todo lo que haya sido entregado como pago a favor de un extranjero!
17 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.
La comida que es producto del fraude puede tener un dulce sabor, pero después verán sus bocas llenas de gravilla.
18 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.
Con el consejo sabio, los planes son exitosos. Si vas a la guerra, asegúrate de tener la instrucción correcta.
19 Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
El chismoso anda de aquí para allá revelando secretos. Aléjate de aquellos que hablan mucho.
20 If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
Todo aquél que maldice a su padre o a su madre apaga su luz y terminará en oscuridad absoluta.
21 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.
La riqueza rápida no te hará bien al final de cuentas.
22 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]).
No digas: “Me pagarás por este mal que me has hecho”. Déjaselo al Señor, y él te ayudará.
23 Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
El Señor aborrece el peso incorrecto. No está bien usar peso falso.
24 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]
El Señor nos muestra el camino a seguir, ¿por qué habríamos de decidir nosotros mismos?
25 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.
Es un error hacerle una promesa al Señor y luego arrepentirnos de lo que hemos prometido.
26 Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
Un rey sabio separa a los malvados con un aventador y luego los castiga cuando hace el trillado.
27 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).
La luz del Señor brilla en la conciencia, revelando nuestros más profundos pensamientos.
28 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.
El amor fiel y la lealtad mantienen al rey a salvo. El amor fiel es el fundamento de su gobierno.
29 We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
Los jóvenes valoran su fuerza, pero los ancianos estiman más la sabiduría que viene con los años.
30 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.
Los azotes espantan la maldad; los golpes limpian hasta adentro.
