Mishlĕ (Proverbs) 20

¹Wine is a scoffer, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

²The dread of a sovereign is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him sins against his own life.

³For a man to cease from strife is esteem, But every fool bursts out.

⁴The lazy one does not plough after the autumn; At harvest time he inquires – there is none!

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it up.

⁶Most men proclaim each his own loving-commitment, But who finds a trustworthy man?

⁷The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.

⁸A sovereign who sits on the throne of judgment Is scattering all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who says, “I have cleansed my heart, I am purged of my sin”?

¹⁰Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are an abomination to יהוה.

¹¹Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether his work is clear and right.

¹²The hearing ear and the seeing eye, יהוה has made both of them.

¹³Do not love sleep, lest you become poor; Open your eyes, be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴“Evil! Evil!” cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

¹⁵There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.

¹⁶Take the garment of one who is guarantor for a stranger, And hold it as a pledge when it is for foreigners.

¹⁷Bread gained by deceit might be sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth is filled with gravel.

¹⁸By counsel plans are established; And by wise guidance wage a battle.

¹⁹He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with him Who speaks smoothly with his lips.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp is put out in deep darkness.

²¹An inheritance obtained with greed at the beginning Is not blessed at the end.

²²Do not say, “I repay evil.” Wait for יהוה, and He saves you.

²³Differing weights are an abomination to יהוה, And a false scale is not good.

²⁴The steps of a man are from יהוה; What does a man know about his own way?

²⁵It is a snare for a man to say rashly, “It is set-apart,” And only later to reconsider his vows.

²⁶A wise sovereign winnows out the wrong, And turns the wheel over them.

²⁷The spirit of a man is the lamp of יהוה, Searching all his inmost parts.

²⁸Loving-commitment and truth watch over the sovereign, And he shall support his throne by loving-commitment.

²⁹The comeliness of young men is their strength, And the splendour of old men is their grey hair.

³⁰The blows that wound cleanse away evil, And strokes the inner parts of the heart.