Proverbs 20-22

Proverbs 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Proverbs 21

¹The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD weigheth the hearts.

³To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

⁴An high look, and a proud heart, even the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness: but every one that is hasty hasteth only to want.

⁶The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vapour driven to and fro; they that seek them seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away; because they refuse to do judgment.

⁸The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked: but as for the pure, his work is right.

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

¹¹When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

¹²The righteous man considereth the house of the wicked; how the wicked are overthrown to their ruin.

¹³Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry, but shall not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifieth anger, and a present in the bosom strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the righteous to do judgment; but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall rest in the congregation of the dead.

¹⁷He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; and the treacherous cometh in the stead of the upright.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swalloweth it up.

²¹He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

²²A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and bringeth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

²³Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

²⁴The proud and haughty man, scorner is his name, he worketh in the arrogance of pride.

²⁵The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

²⁶There is that coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and withholdeth not.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

²⁸A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth shall speak unchallenged.

²⁹A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he ordereth his ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but victory is of the LORD,

Proverbs 22

¹A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

²The rich and the poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

³A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

⁴The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD is riches, and honour, and life.

⁵Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity: and the rod of his wrath shall fail.

⁹He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

¹⁰Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and ignominy shall cease.

¹¹He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

¹²The eyes of the LORD preserve him that hath knowledge, but he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.

¹³The sluggard saith, There is a lion without: I shall be murdered in the streets.

¹⁴The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

¹⁶He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain, and he that giveth to the rich, cometh only to want.

¹⁷Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

¹⁸For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, if they be established together upon thy lips.

¹⁹That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.

²⁰Have not I written unto thee excellent things of counsels and knowledge;

²¹To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

²²Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

²³For the LORD will plead their cause, and despoil of life those that despoil them.

²⁴Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; and with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

²⁵Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

²⁶Be thou not one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts:

²⁷If thou hast not wherewith to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

²⁸Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

²⁹Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.