20
On Life and Conduct
1 AWine is a mocker,
Bstrong drink a brawler,
And whoever
1is intoxicated by it is not wise.
2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger
1Aforfeits his own life.
3 1AKeeping away from strife is an honor for a man,
But any fool will
2quarrel.
4 The
Asluggard does not plow after the autumn,
So he
1begs during the harvest and has nothing.
5 A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out.
6 Many a man
Aproclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a
Btrustworthy man?
7 A righteous man who
Awalks in his integrity—
BHow blessed are his sons after him.
8 AA king who sits on the throne of justice
1Disperses all evil with his eyes.
9 AWho can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am pure from my sin”?
10 1ADiffering weights and differing measures,
Both of them are abominable to the Loʀᴅ.
11 It is by his deeds that a lad
1Adistinguishes himself
If his conduct is pure and right.
12 The hearing
Aear and the seeing eye,
The Loʀᴅ has made both of them.
13 ADo not love sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes,
and you will be satisfied with
1food.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
15 There is gold, and an abundance of
1jewels;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
16 Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.
17 ABread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Prepare
Aplans by consultation,
And
Bmake war by wise guidance.
19 He who
Agoes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
Therefore do not associate with
1Ba gossip.
20 He who
Acurses his father or his mother,
His
Blamp will go out in
1time of darkness.
21 An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.
22 ADo not say, “I will repay evil”;
BWait for the Loʀᴅ, and He will save you.
23 1ADiffering weights are an abomination to the Loʀᴅ,
And a
2Bfalse scale is not good.
24 AMan’s steps are
ordained by the Loʀᴅ,
How then can man understand his way?
25 It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”
And
Aafter the vows to make inquiry.
26 A
Awise king winnows the wicked,
And
1drives the
Bthreshing wheel over them.
27 The
1Aspirit of man is the lamp of the Loʀᴅ,
Searching all the
2innermost parts of his being.
28 1Loyalty and
Atruth preserve the king,
And he upholds his throne by
1righteousness.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
And the
1Ahonor of old men is their gray hair.
30 AStripes that wound scour away evil,
And strokes
reach the
1innermost parts.