GodsWord - Proverbs - 20

20:1  Wine makes people mock, liquor makes them noisy, and everyone under their influence is unwise.

20:2  The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion. Whoever makes him angry forfeits his life.

20:3  Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.

20:4  A lazy person does not plow in the fall. He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.

20:5  A motive in the human heart is like deep water, and a person who has understanding draws it out.

20:6  Many people declare themselves loyal, but who can find someone who is really trustworthy?

20:7  A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his children after he is gone.

20:8  A king who sits on his throne to judge sifts out every evil with his eyes.

20:9  Who can say, "I've made my heart pure. I'm cleansed from my sin"?

20:10  A double standard of weights and measures-- both are disgusting to the LORD.

20:11  Even a child makes himself known by his actions, whether his deeds are pure or right.

20:12  The ear that hears, the eye that sees-- the LORD made them both.

20:13  Do not love sleep or you will end up poor. Keep your eyes open, and you will have plenty to eat.

20:14  "Bad! Bad!" says the buyer. Then, as he goes away, he brags about his bargain.

20:15  There are gold and plenty of jewels, but the lips of knowledge are precious gems.

20:16  Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger's loan, and hold responsible the person who makes a loan on behalf of a foreigner.

20:17  Food gained dishonestly tastes sweet to a person, but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel.

20:18  Plans are confirmed by getting advice, and with guidance one wages war.

20:19  Whoever goes around as a gossip tells secrets. Do not associate with a person whose mouth is always open.

20:20  The lamp of the person who curses his father and mother will be snuffed out in total darkness.

20:21  An inheritance quickly obtained in the beginning will never be blessed in the end.

20:22  Do not say, "I'll get even with you!" Wait for the LORD, and he will save you.

20:23  A double standard of weights is disgusting to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.

20:24  The LORD is the one who directs a person's steps. How then can anyone understand his own way?

20:25  It is a trap for a person to say impulsively, "This is a holy offering!" and later to have second thoughts about those vows.

20:26  A wise king scatters the wicked and then runs them over.

20:27  A person's soul is the LORD's lamp. It searches his entire innermost being.

20:28  Mercy and truth protect a king, and with mercy he maintains his throne.

20:29  While the glory of young men is their strength, the splendor of older people is their silver hair.

20:30  Brutal beatings cleanse away wickedness. Such beatings cleanse the innermost being.