Proverbs 20

Wine Is a Mocker

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler,

and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

• PROV 20:1[NOTE]WINE. Proverbs does not ban wine, 3:10 and 9:5, but it warns again and again about drunkenness, 23:29 to 35.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;

whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

³It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,

but any fool will quarrel.

⁴The slacker does not plow in season;

at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

⁵The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters,

but a man of understanding draws them out.

• PROV 20:5[HEART]The purposes of a heart are like deep water. A wise person draws them out.

⁶Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,

but who can find a trustworthy man?

⁷The righteous man walks with integrity;

blessed are his children after him.

⁸A king who sits on a throne to judge

sifts out all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;

I am cleansed from my sin”?

¹⁰Differing weights and unequal measures—

both are detestable to Yahweh.

¹¹Even a young man is known by his actions—

whether his conduct is pure and upright.

¹²Ears that hear and eyes that see—

Yahweh has made them both.

¹³Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;

open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

¹⁴“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,

but on the way out, he gloats.

¹⁵There is an abundance of gold and rubies,

but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

¹⁶Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger;

get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

¹⁷Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,

but later his mouth is full of gravel.

¹⁸Set plans by consultation,

and wage war under sound guidance.

¹⁹He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;

avoid the one who babbles with his lips.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or mother,

his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.

²¹An inheritance gained quickly

will not be blessed in the end.

²²Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”

Wait on Yahweh, and He will save you.

²³Unequal weights are detestable to Yahweh,

and dishonest scales are no good.

²⁴A man’s steps are from Yahweh,

so how can anyone understand his own way?

²⁵It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,

only later to reconsider his vows.

²⁶A wise king separates out the wicked

and drives the threshing wheel over them.

²⁷The spirit of a man is the lamp of Yahweh,

searching out his inmost being.

²⁸Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;

by these he maintains his throne.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,

and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

³⁰Lashes and wounds scour evil,

and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.