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 is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler; whoever is led astray by drink is not wise.
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.
The fear of a king is like the fear of a young lion that is roaring; the one who makes him angry forfeits his life.
3 [People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
It is an honor for anyone to avoid conflict, but every fool jumps into an argument.
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.
The lazy person does not plow in autumn; he seeks a crop at harvest time but will have nothing.
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.
The purpose in a human heart is like deep water, but someone with understanding will draw it 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 a person proclaims he is loyal, but who can find one who is faithful?
7 If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
The righteous person walks in his integrity, and his sons who follow after him will be blessed.
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.
A king who sits on the throne performing the duties of a judge is winnowing with his eyes all the evil that is before him.
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 say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?
10 Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
Differing weights and unequal measures— Yahweh hates them both.
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 a youth is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
12 Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
Ears that hear and eyes that see— Yahweh made them both.
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.
Do not love sleep or you will come to poverty; open your eyes and you will 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].
“Bad! Bad!” says the buyer, but when he goes away he boasts.
15 Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
There is gold and an abundance of costly stones, but lips of knowledge are a precious 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.
Take a garment of one who has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an immoral woman.
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.
Bread gained by deceit tastes sweet, but afterward his mouth will be full 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.
Plans are established by advice and only with wise guidance should you wage war.
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 reveals secrets and so you should not associate with people who talk too much.
20 If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
If a person curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in the middle of 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.
An inheritance gained quickly at the beginning will do less 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]).
Do not say, “I will pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for Yahweh and he will rescue you.
23 Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
Yahweh hates unequal weights and dishonest scales are not good.
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]
A person's steps are directed by Yahweh; how then can he understand his way?
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 is a snare for a person to say rashly, “This thing is holy,” and begin to think about what it means only after making his vow.
26 Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
A wise king winnows the wicked and he turns a threshing wheel over them.
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 spirit of a person is the lamp of Yahweh, searching all his inmost parts.
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.
Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness preserve the king; his throne is made secure by love.
29 We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
The glory of young men is their strength and the splendor of old people is their 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.
Blows that make a wound cleanse away evil and beatings make the innermost parts clean.
