CHAPTER 20

                ¹Wine is a scoffer, strong drink is rowdy,

                    all who dote on them get no wisdom.

                ²A roar like a lion—a king’s terror,

                    who provokes him mortally offends.

                ³It honors a man to sit back from a quarrel,

                    but any dolt will jump right in.

                ⁴After winter the sluggard does not plow,

                    he asks in the harvest and has nothing.

                ⁵Deep waters the counsel in a man’s heart,

                    but a man of discernment draws them up.

                ⁶Many a man is called faithful partner,

                    but who can find a trustworthy person?

                ⁷The righteous man goes about in his innocence.

                    Happy his children after him!

                ⁸A king seated on the throne of judgment

                    sifts out all evil with his eyes.

                ⁹Who can say, “I declare my heart pure.

                    I am clean of my offense”?

                ¹⁰Two different weight-stones, two different measures—

                    the LORD’s loathing are they both.

                ¹¹In his deeds a lad may dissemble

                    though his acts be upright and pure.

                ¹²An ear that hears and an eye that sees,

                    the LORD made them both.

                ¹³Do not love sleep, lest you lose all your worth,

                    keep your eyes open and be sated with bread.

                ¹⁴“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

                    and he goes away and then preens himself.

                ¹⁵There is gold with abundance of rubies,

                    but lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.

                ¹⁶Take his garment, for he stood bond for another,

                    and for strangers, take his pledge.

                ¹⁷Bread got through fraud may be sweet to a man,

                    but in the end it fills his mouth with gravel.

                ¹⁸Plans set through counsel will be fulfilled,

                    and you should make war through designs.

                ¹⁹Laying bare secrets the gossip goes round;

                    don’t trust yourself to a blabbermouth.

                ²⁰Who reviles his father and his mother,

                    his lamp will gutter in pitch darkness.

                ²¹An estate gained hastily from the start,

                    its end will not be blessed.

                ²²Do not say, “Let me pay back evil.”

                    Hope for the LORD, that He give you victory.

                ²³Two different weight-stones are the LORD’s loathing,

                    and cheating scales are not good.

                ²⁴From the LORD are the steps of a man,

                    and how can a person grasp his own way?

                ²⁵It’s a snare for a man to utter “Sanctified,”

                    and after the vows to reflect.

                ²⁶A wise king sifts out the wicked

                    and turns the wheel over them.

                ²⁷The LORD’s lamp is the life-breath of man,

                    laying bare all the inward chambers.

                ²⁸Let a king keep faithful trust,

                    that he uphold his throne in faithfulness.

                ²⁹The splendor of young men is their strength,

                    and the glory of elders, gray hair.

                ³⁰With fearsome bruises scour away evil,

                    and blows to the belly’s chambers.