Proverbs 20–21

20Wine ^ais a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler,

And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

²The ¹wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion;

Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

^3bIt is honorable for a man to stop striving,

Since any fool can start a quarrel.

^4cThe lazy man will not plow because of winter;

^dHe will beg during harvest and have nothing.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,

But a man of understanding will draw it out.

⁶Most men will proclaim each his own ²goodness,

But who can find a faithful man?

^7eThe righteous man walks in his integrity;

^fHis children are blessed after him.

⁸A king who sits on the throne of judgment

Scatters all evil with his eyes.

^9gWho can say, “I have made my heart clean,

I am pure from my sin”?

^10hDiverse weights and diverse measures,

They are both alike, an abomination to the Lord.

¹¹Even a child is ⁱknown by his deeds,

Whether what he does is pure and right.

^12jThe hearing ear and the seeing eye,

The Lord has made them both.

^13kDo not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;

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

¹⁴“It is ³good for nothing,” cries the buyer;

But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

¹⁵There is gold and a multitude of rubies,

But ^lthe lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

^16mTake the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,

And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

¹⁷ⁿBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

^18oPlans are established by counsel;

^pBy wise counsel wage war.

^19qHe who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;

Therefore do not associate with one ^rwho flatters with his lips.

^20sWhoever curses his father or his mother,

^tHis lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

^21uAn inheritance gained hastily at the beginning

^vWill not be blessed at the end.

^22wDo not say, “I will ⁴recompense evil”;

^xWait for the Lord, and He will save you.

²³Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,

And dishonest scales are not good.

²⁴A man’s steps are of the Lord;

How then can a man understand his own way?

²⁵It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,

And afterward to reconsider his vows.

^26yA wise king sifts out the wicked,

And brings the threshing wheel over them.

^27zThe spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,

Searching all the ⁵inner depths of his heart.

^28aMercy and truth preserve the king,

And by ⁶lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,

And ^bthe splendor of old men is their gray head.

³⁰Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,

As do stripes the ⁷inner depths of the heart.

21The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,

Like the ¹rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

^2aEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes,

^bBut the Lord weighs the hearts.

^3cTo do righteousness and justice

Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

^4dA haughty look, a proud heart,

And the ²plowing of the wicked are sin.

^5eThe plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,

But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

^6fGetting treasures by a lying tongue

³Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will ⁴destroy them,

Because they refuse to do justice.

⁸The way of ⁵a guilty man is perverse;

But as for the pure, his work is right.

⁹Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,

Than in a house shared with ^ga contentious woman.

^10hThe soul of the wicked desires evil;

His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

¹¹When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;

But when the ⁱwise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,

Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.

^13jWhoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor

Will also cry himself and not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifies anger,

And a bribe ⁶behind the back, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is a joy for the just to do justice,

But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶A man who wanders from the way of understanding

Will rest in the assembly of the ^kdead.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;

He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous,

And the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹Better to dwell ⁷in the wilderness,

Than with a contentious and angry woman.

^20lThere is desirable treasure,

And oil in the dwelling of the wise,

But a foolish man squanders it.

^21mHe who follows righteousness and mercy

Finds life, righteousness and honor.

²²A ⁿwise man ⁸scales the city of the mighty,

And brings down the trusted stronghold.

^23oWhoever guards his mouth and tongue

Keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴A proud and haughty man—“Scoffer” is his name;

He acts with arrogant pride.

²⁵The ^pdesire of the lazy man kills him,

For his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶He covets greedily all day long,

But the righteous ^qgives and does not spare.

^27rThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

²⁸A false witness shall perish,

But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.

²⁹A wicked man hardens his face,

But as for the upright, he ⁹establishes his way.

^30sThere is no wisdom or understanding

Or counsel against the Lord.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But ^tdeliverance is of the Lord.