Proverbs 20

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

Wine turns you into a mocker, alcohol makes you aggressive; you're stupid to be deceived by drink.

2 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.

When a king gets terribly angry, he sounds like a roaring lion; anyone who makes him furious is liable to be killed.

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

Avoiding conflict is the proper thing to do, but stupid people are quick to argue.

4 [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.

Slackers don't sow when they should, so when harvest comes they don't have anything.

5 [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.

Discovering what someone is planning in their mind is like looking at deep water, but a person who has understanding will find out.

6 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.

Many people tell you they're loyal, but can you find someone really trustworthy?

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

Good people live honestly; how happy are their children if they follow them.

8 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.

When a king sits in judgment he recognizes all that isn't right.

9 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).”

Who can claim, “I've made sure my conscience is clean; I've purified myself from sin”?

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

The Lord hates both dishonest weights and dishonest measures.

11 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].

Even children reveal what they're like by what they do, whether their actions are good and right.

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

The Lord made our ears to hear and our eyes to see.

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

If you love sleeping you'll become poor. Wake up and get busy, and you'll have plenty to eat.

14 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].

“It's really rubbish,” says the one buying, but afterwards goes and boasts to others about making a good deal.

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

There's gold and plenty of expensive gemstones, but talking sense is a more valuable jewel.

16 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.

If someone guarantees a stranger's debt with their cloak, be sure to take it! Make sure you have whatever is pledged to foreigners!

17 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.

Food you get by cheating may taste sweet, but afterwards it will be like a mouthful of gravel.

18 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.

With sound advice, plans are successful; if you're going to war, make sure you have good guidance.

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

A gossip goes around revealing secrets; stay away from people who talk a lot.

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

Anyone who curses their father or mother will have their light put out and end in utter darkness.

21 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.

Wealth gained too soon won't do you any good in the end.

22 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]).

Don't say, “I'll get you back for doing me wrong.” Leave it to the Lord, and he'll help you.

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

The Lord hates incorrect weights; using dishonest scales is wrong.

24 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]

The Lord shows us the way to go, so how would we decide for ourselves?

25 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.

It's a mistake to make a promise to God and then have second thoughts about it later.

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

A wise king separates out the wicked by winnowing and punishes them by threshing.

27 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).

The Lord's light shines on the conscience, revealing our deepest thoughts.

28 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.

Trustworthy love and faithfulness keep a king safe; trustworthy love supports his rule.

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

Young men value their strength, but the old value even more the wisdom that comes with gray hair.

30 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.

Wounds and blows clean away what's evil; beatings clean what's deep down inside.