Proverbs, 20

¹ Wine is a ridiculer, intoxicating liquor is boisterous, and everyone going astray by it is not wise.

² The frightfulness of a king is a growling like that of a maned young lion. Anyone drawing his fury against himself is sinning against his own soul.

³ It is a glory for a man to desist from disputing, but everyone foolish will burst out [in it].

⁴ Because of winter the lazy one will not plow; he will be begging in reaping time, but there will be nothing.

⁵ Counsel in the heart of a man is as deep waters, but the man of discernment is one that will draw it up.

⁶ A multitude of men^*1 will proclaim each one his own loving-kindness,^*2 but a faithful man^*3 who can find?

⁷ The righteous is walking in his integrity. Happy are his sons after him.

⁸ The king is sitting upon the throne of judgment,^*1 scattering all badness with his own eyes.

⁹ Who can say: “I have cleansed my heart; I have become pure from my sin”?

¹⁰ Two sorts of weights and two sorts of eʹphah measures—they are both of them together something detestable to Jehovah.

¹¹ Even by his practices a boy makes himself recognized as to whether his activity is pure and upright.

¹² The hearing ear and the seeing eye—Jehovah himself has made even both of them.

¹³ Do not love sleep, that you may not come to poverty. Open your eyes; be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴ “It is bad, bad!” says the buyer, and he is going his way. Then it is that he boasts about himself.

¹⁵ There exists gold, also an abundance of corals; but the lips of knowledge are precious vessels.

¹⁶ Take one’s garment, in case one has gone surety for a stranger; and in the instance of a foreign woman, seize from him a pledge.

¹⁷ Bread [gained by] falsehood is pleasurable to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

¹⁸ By counsel plans themselves are firmly established, and by skillful direction carry on your war.

¹⁹ He that is going about as a slanderer is uncovering confidential talk; and with one that is enticed^*1 with his lips you must have no fellowship.

²⁰ As for anyone calling down evil upon his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished at the approach of darkness.

²¹ An inheritance is being got by greed^*1 at first, but its own future will not be blessed.

²² Do not say: “I will pay back evil!” Hope in Jehovah, and he will save you.

²³ Two sorts of weights are something detestable to Jehovah, and a cheating pair of scales is not good.

²⁴ From Jehovah are the steppings of an able-bodied man. As regards earthling man, how can he discern his way?

²⁵ It is a snare when earthling man has rashly cried out, “Holy!” and after vows [he is disposed] to make examination.

²⁶ A wise king is scattering wicked people, and he turns around upon them a wheel.^*1

²⁷ The breath^*1 of earthling man is the lamp of Jehovah, carefully searching all the innermost parts of the belly.

²⁸ Loving-kindness and trueness^*1—they safeguard the king; and by loving-kindness he has sustained his throne.

²⁹ The beauty of young men is their power, and the splendor of old men is their gray-headedness.

³⁰ Bruising wounds are what scours away the bad; and strokes, the innermost parts of the belly.