Every Man's Bible - Proverbs - Flipbook - Page 29
page 855 | Proverbs 20
18
Discipline your children while there
is hope.
Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
19
Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
If you rescue them once, you will have
to do it again.
20
Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
21
You can make many plans,
but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.
22
Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest.
23
Fear of the LORD leads to life,
bringing security and protection from
harm.
24
Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
25
If you punish a mocker, the
simpleminded will learn a lesson;
if you correct the wise, they will be all
the wiser.
26
Children who mistreat their father or
chase away their mother
are an embarrassment and a public
disgrace.
27
If you stop listening to instruction, my
child,
you will turn your back on knowledge.
28
A corrupt witness makes a mockery of
justice;
the mouth of the wicked gulps down
evil.
29
Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to be
beaten.
20
1
Wine produces mockers; alcohol
leads to brawls.
Those led astray by drink
cannot be wise.
5
Though good advice lies deep within the
heart,
a person with understanding will draw
it out.
6
Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly
reliable?
7
The godly walk with integrity;
blessed are their children who follow
them.
8
When a king sits in judgment, he weighs
all the evidence,
distinguishing the bad from the good.
9
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart;
I am pure and free from sin”?
10
False weights and unequal measures*—
the LORD detests double standards of
every kind.
11
Even children are known by the way
they act,
whether their conduct is pure, and
whether it is right.
12
Ears to hear and eyes to see—
both are gifts from the LORD.
13
If you love sleep, you will end in poverty.
Keep your eyes open, and there will be
plenty to eat!
14
The buyer haggles over the price, saying,
“It’s worthless,”
then brags about getting a bargain!
15
Wise words are more valuable
than much gold and many rubies.
16
Get security from someone who
guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.*
17
Stolen bread tastes sweet,
but it turns to gravel in the mouth.
18
2
The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;
to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
Plans succeed through good counsel;
don’t go to war without wise advice.
19
3
Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
only fools insist on quarreling.
A gossip goes around telling secrets,
so don’t hang around with chatterers.
20
4
Those too lazy to plow in the right season
will have no food at the harvest.
If you insult your father or mother,
your light will be snuffed out in total
darkness.
20:10 Hebrew A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah.
a promiscuous woman.
20:16 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text is for
20:9 None of us are without sin, but we can receive forgiveness as we confess our sins to God and
repent of them. Since we are inclined to sin, constant soul-searching will help us rid ourselves of sinful
thoughts and behaviors.