Proverbs 20:6-22:8

English Standard Version

⁶ Many a man ^(A)proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but ^(B)a faithful man who can find?
⁷ The righteous who ^(C)walks in his integrity—
    ^(D)blessed are his children after him!
^8 (E)A king who sits on the throne of judgment
    ^(F)winnows all evil with his eyes.
^9 (G)Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
    I am clean from my sin”?
^10 (H)Unequal^[a] weights and unequal measures
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹¹ Even a child ^(I)makes himself known by his acts,
    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.^[b]
12 (J)The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
    ^(K)the Lord has made them both.
^13 (L)Love not sleep, lest you ^(M)come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have ^(N)plenty of bread.
¹⁴ “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
    but when he goes away, then he boasts.
¹⁵ There is gold and abundance of ^(O)costly stones,
    ^(P)but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
^16 (Q)Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
    and ^(R)hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.^[c]
17 (S)Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
    but afterward his mouth will be full of ^(T)gravel.
^18 (U)Plans are established by counsel;
    by ^(V)wise guidance ^(W)wage war.
¹⁹ Whoever ^(X)goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with ^(Y)a simple babbler.^[d]
20 (Z)If one curses his father or his mother,
    ^(AA)his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
^21 (AB)An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
    will not be blessed in the end.
²² Do not say, ^(AC)“I will repay evil”;
    ^(AD)wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
^23 (AE)Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
    and ^(AF)false scales are not good.
²⁴ A man's ^(AG)steps are from the Lord;
    how then can man understand his way?
²⁵ It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
    and to reflect only ^(AH)after making vows.
²⁶ A wise king ^(AI)winnows the wicked
    and drives ^(AJ)the wheel over them.
^27 (AK)The spirit^[e] of man is the lamp of the Lord,
    ^(AL)searching all ^(AM)his innermost parts.
^28 (AN)Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his ^(AO)throne is upheld.
²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
    but ^(AP)the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
^30 (AQ)Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean ^(AR)the innermost parts.
21 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    he ^(AS)turns it wherever he will.
^2 (AT)Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord ^(AU)weighs the heart.
^3 (AV)To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
^4 (AW)Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    ^(AX)the lamp^[f] of the wicked, are sin.
⁵ The plans of ^(AY)the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is ^(AZ)hasty comes ^(BA)only to poverty.
^6 (BB)The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a ^(BC)fleeting ^(BD)vapor and a ^(BE)snare of death.^[g]
7 The violence of the wicked will ^(BF)sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
⁸ The way of the guilty ^(BG)is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
⁹ It is ^(BH)better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
¹¹ When ^(BI)a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
¹² The Righteous One ^(BJ)observes the house of the wicked;
    he throws the wicked down to ruin.
^13 (BK)Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
    will himself call out and not be answered.
^14 (BL)A gift in secret averts anger,
    and a concealed bribe,^[h] strong wrath.
¹⁵ When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
    ^(BM)but terror to evildoers.
¹⁶ One who wanders from the way of good sense
    ^(BN)will rest in the assembly of the dead.
¹⁷ Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
^18 (BO)The wicked is a ^(BP)ransom for the righteous,
    and the traitor for the upright.
¹⁹ It is ^(BQ)better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
^20 (BR)Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling,
    but a foolish man ^(BS)devours it.
²¹ Whoever ^(BT)pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find ^(BU)life, righteousness, and honor.
^22 (BV)A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
^23 (BW)Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    ^(BX)keeps himself out of ^(BY)trouble.
^24 (BZ)“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
    who acts with arrogant pride.
²⁵ The desire of ^(CA)the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
²⁶ All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous ^(CB)gives and does not hold back.
^27 (CC)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more ^(CD)when he brings it with evil intent.
^28 (CE)A false witness will perish,
    but the word of a man who hears will endure.
²⁹ A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright ^(CF)gives thought to^[i] his ways.
^30 (CG)No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the Lord.
^31 (CH)The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but ^(CI)the victory belongs to the Lord.
22 ^(CJ)A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
    and favor is better than silver or gold.
^2 (CK)The rich and the poor meet together;
    the Lord is ^(CL)the Maker of them all.
^3 (CM)The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
    but the simple go on and suffer for it.
⁴ The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
    is ^(CN)riches and honor and life.^[j]
5 (CO)Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
    whoever ^(CP)guards his soul will keep far from them.
^6 (CQ)Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.
^7 (CR)The rich rules over the poor,
    and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
⁸ Whoever ^(CS)sows injustice will reap calamity,
    and ^(CT)the rod of his fury will fail.