Proverbs 20

1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whosoever erreth thereby is not wise.

Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.

2 The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion: he that provoketh him to anger sinneth [against] his own life.

Being afraid of a king when he is angry is like [SIM] being afraid of a lion when it growls/roars; if you cause the king to become angry, he may execute you.

3 It is an honour for a man to keep aloof from strife: but every fool will be quarrelling.

[People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.

4 The slothful will not plow by reason of the winter; therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.

[If] a lazy man does not plow [his fields at the right/proper time], he will look for [crops] at harvest [time], but there will be nothing there.

5 Counsel in the heart of man is [like] deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

[Just] as it is difficult to bring up water from a deep well, it is difficult to know what people are thinking, but someone who has good sense/insight will be able to find out what people are thinking.

6 Most men wilt proclaim every one his own kindness: but a faithful man who can find?

Many people proclaim that they can be trusted [to do what they say that they will do], but it is very difficult to find [RHQ] someone who can really be trusted.

7 A just man that walketh in his integrity, blessed are his children after him.

If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).

8 A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

A king who sits on his throne to judge people can [easily] [MTY] find out what things that people have done are good and what things are evil.

9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

There is no one [RHQ] who can truthfully say, “I do not know of any wrong things that I have done; I have (gotten rid of all my sinful behavior/quit doing what is sinful).”

10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.

11 Even a child maketh himself known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Even children show by what they do whether they are good or not; they show whether (what they do/their behavior) is honest and right [or not].

12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.

13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, [and] thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.

14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

People [look at things that they are about] to buy, [and in order to get it for a lower price sometimes they] say, “(It is no good/It is poor quality),” but [after they buy it], they go and boast [about having bought it for a cheap price].

15 There is gold, and abundance of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.

16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge [that is surety] for strangers.

If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it [DOU], [you deserve to] have someone take your coat from you.

17 Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

People [may] think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good, but later [they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy] eating gravel/sand.

18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and by wise guidance make thou war,

When people give you good advice, [if you do what they suggest], your plans will succeed; so be sure to get good advice from wise people before you start fighting a war.

19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that openeth wide his lips.

Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].

20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in the blackest darkness.

If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.

21 An inheritance [may be] gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die, you will not receive any good/blessing from it.

22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil: wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;” wait for Yahweh [to do something about it], and he will (help you/[do what is right]).

23 Divers weights are an abomination to the LORD; and a false balance is not good.

Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.

24 A man’s goings are of the LORD; how then can man understand his way?

Yahweh is the one who has decided what will happen to us, so (how can we (understand/know) what will happen before it happens?/we humans certainly cannot (understand/know) what will happen before it happens.) [RHQ]

25 It is a snare to a man rashly to say, [It is] holy, and after vows to make inquiry.

You should think carefully before you solemnly promise to dedicate something to God, because later you might be sorry you have promised to do it.

26 A wise king winnoweth the wicked, and bringeth the [threshing] wheel over them.

Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].

27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of the belly.

Our consciences are [like] lamps that Yahweh [has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking] [MET]; they reveal what is hidden deep in our (minds/inner beings).

28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.

29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the hoary head.

We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.

30 Stripes that wound cleanse away evil: and strokes [reach] the innermost parts of the belly.

When we are beaten or whipped, it [can] cause us to quit doing what is evil in our lives; when someone wounds us [by punishing us], it [can] cause our behavior to become good.