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Proverbs 20

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!

A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.

Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts.

There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.

Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.

If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.

A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.

A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.

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

Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Proverbs 20

Chapter 20 offers counsel on various social and personal matters, emphasizing the dangers of wine and strong drink, the importance of listening and taking counsel, and the various ways that character reveals itself through behavior. The chapter opens with a memorable warning: wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise, establishing that substance abuse leads away from wisdom and agency. The chapter emphasizes that the righteous hate falsehood while the wise fear the LORD; that the sluggard plans but does not execute while the diligent are wise and prosperous. Memorable images include the counsel in the heart of a man being deep water while the wise will draw it out; the unfaithful merchant with false weights being an abomination to the LORD; and the lamp of the body being the eye (suggesting that perception and discernment are essential to navigation). The chapter addresses justice: the righteous king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them; he who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious will be the king's friend. Chapter 20 demonstrates that wisdom encompasses everyday choices about substance use, the seeking and giving of counsel, commercial honesty, and the cultivation of inner purity that manifests in righteous action, reinforcing throughout that the wise are vigilant, discerning, and attuned to God's order.

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise—intoxicating substances are personified as opponents of wisdom itself, establishing that loss of mental clarity represents a forfeiture of wise living regardless of social context.

Proverbs 20:2

A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives—the sovereign's anger operates with absolute power unchecked by appeal, establishing the prudence of maintaining deference and the vulnerability of subjects to arbitrary judgment.

Proverbs 20:3

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel—honor emerges through restraint and peacemaking rather than through vindication of injured pride, positioning the wise person's forbearance as superior to the fool's compulsive conflict.

Proverbs 20:4

Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing—the natural rhythm of agricultural cycles rewards diligence and punishes laziness automatically, with poverty presented as the inevitable harvest of idleness rather than misfortune.

Proverbs 20:5

The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out—human motivation and intention are portrayed as mysterious and hidden depths, with wisdom consisting in the capacity to understand others' true designs beneath surface presentation.

Proverbs 20:6

Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person—who can find?—the verse distinguishes between profession and practice, highlighting the rarity of genuine loyalty and establishing that authentic love reveals itself through tested endurance rather than easy declaration.

Proverbs 20:7

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them—moral integrity produces blessing that extends across generations, positioning parental character as the inheritance that surpasses material wealth in shaping a child's flourishing.

Proverbs 20:8

When a king sits on his throne to judge, he winnows out all evil with his eyes—the king's role as judge is presented as an ordering function that separates good from evil, with discernment as the prerequisite for justice and the king's moral vision as foundational.

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin'?—the rhetorical question establishes universal moral failure and the inadequacy of human self-justification, grounding humility in the recognition that perfection exceeds human capacity.

Proverbs 20:10

Differing weights and differing measures—the LORD detests them both—commercial dishonesty is explicitly condemned as abomination in God's eyes, connecting marketplace ethics to divine values and establishing that cheating violates cosmic order.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by their actions, by whether their conduct is pure and upright—character manifests itself early and visibly, suggesting both that moral formation begins in childhood and that observation of behavior reveals essential nature.

Proverbs 20:12

Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both—sensory faculties are presented as divine gifts whose proper function includes perceiving moral and spiritual truth, grounding epistemology in divine design and intentionality.

Proverbs 20:13

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food aplenty—diligence expressed through wakefulness and activity produces material security, while the fool's love of ease guarantees poverty in both dimensions of existence.

Proverbs 20:14

It's no good, it's no good!' says the buyer—then off he goes and boasts about the deal—shrewd commerce involves tactical devaluation of goods to lower price, with the shrewd person's boasting revealing that commercial success becomes its own form of glory.

Proverbs 20:15

Gold there is, and rubies aplenty, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel—the verse establishes that wisdom's expression through truthful speech surpasses precious metals in value, positioning intellectual and moral riches above material accumulation.

Proverbs 20:16

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for an outsider—the proverb warns against becoming surety for another's debt through graphic instruction to seize collateral, treating contract violation as a public evil.

Proverbs 20:17

Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he will end up with a mouth full of gravel—ill-gotten gains carry hidden consequences that undermine their enjoyment, with the contrast between initial sweetness and final bitterness establishing fraud's ultimate futility.

Proverbs 20:18

Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance—prudent decision-making involves collective counsel before commitment, with warfare as the ultimate commitment requiring wisdom's counsel and establishing that major undertakings demand deliberation.

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid anyone who talks too much—the verse identifies gossip as inherent to shallow character and warns exclusion from such persons, establishing that trustworthiness requires discretion and that community depends on guarded tongues.

Proverbs 20:20

If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness—the violation of filial honor produces ultimate darkness and death, with the lamp as symbol of life itself extinguished by the primal sin of dishonoring parents.

Proverbs 20:21

An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end—hastily acquired wealth fails to produce lasting blessing, suggesting that proper stewardship requires time and that shortcuts in obtaining resources corrupt their capacity to sustain.

Proverbs 20:22

Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the LORD; he will help you—vengeance must be relinquished to God's justice, with the wise person's forbearance establishing that patience and trust in divine retaliation supersede human retribution.

Proverbs 20:23

The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him—marketplace integrity matters to God with explicit condemnation, establishing that cosmic order depends on honesty in commerce and that divine justice scrutinizes all human transactions.

Proverbs 20:24

A man's steps are established by the LORD; how then can anyone understand their own way?—human agency and divine sovereignty intertwine, with the proverb suggesting that ultimate comprehension of life's direction exceeds individual capacity and requires trust.

Proverbs 20:25

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly to God and only later to consider his vows—hasty religious commitment becomes self-destructive when thoughtlessly made, warning that devotion to God requires genuine deliberation and that rash vows constitute spiritual danger.

Proverbs 20:26

A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the wheel over them—the king's judicial function involves active removal of evil from society, with the wheel as instrument of complete obliteration and the wise king's role as essential to social purification.

Proverbs 20:27

The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being—divine scrutiny penetrates the deepest levels of human motivation and intention, establishing that no deception escapes God's examination and that moral transparency is ultimately inescapable.

Proverbs 20:28

Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love he maintains his throne—royal stability depends not on military might but on cultivating loyal relationships, positioning virtue as the foundation of political longevity and establishing ethics as pragmatic governance.

Proverbs 20:29

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of the old is their gray hair—different life stages possess distinct forms of honor, with physical strength and accumulated wisdom respectively valorized, establishing that human worth takes different forms across the lifespan.

Proverbs 20:30

Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being—physical punishment is presented as a form of purification that removes internal corruption, connecting discipline to spiritual cleansing and suggesting that some teaching requires severity.