Proverbs Chapter 20
Showing all 30 verses for Proverbs Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. "
"Wine mocks you and strong drink makes you reckless - anyone who's fooled by it isn't being wise."
Be alert and clear-headed in how you live. Don't hand control of your mind over to anything that clouds your judgement, even something that feels harmless in the moment.
"The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. "
"An angry ruler is as terrifying as a roaring lion - provoke that anger, and you're only hurting yourself."
Choose your battles wisely. Needless provocation rarely serves you - save your courage for what truly matters.
"It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. "
"It's honourable to walk away from a fight, but any fool will jump right into one."
Blessed are the peacemakers. There's real honour in choosing not to engage every quarrel that comes your way, even when part of you wants to.
"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. "
"The lazy person won't plough because it's too cold, so at harvest time they end up begging with nothing to show for it."
Don't let small discomforts talk you out of doing what needs doing now. The effort you avoid today often becomes the lack you face tomorrow.
"Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. "
"What's really going on inside someone's heart runs deep, like a well - but a person with real insight knows how to draw it out."
Take the time to really see people, to draw out what's underneath the surface. Most people are carrying more than they show, and that kind of attention is a form of love.
"Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? "
"Plenty of people will tell you how good and loyal they are - but someone who's actually faithful and reliable? That's rare to find."
Don't just talk about your loyalty and goodness - live it out consistently. I'm looking for faithfulness in the small, unseen moments, not just the words people say about themselves.
"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. "
"A person who lives with honesty and integrity leaves a blessing that carries on to their children after them."
Live with integrity today, because the people who come after you - your children, your community - will carry the effects of how you chose to live.
"A king that sitheth in the throne of judgment scaftereth away all evil with his eyes. "
"A ruler who sits to judge fairly can spot wrongdoing and sweep it away just by paying close attention."
Lead with clear eyes and discernment wherever you have influence, whether over a country or just your own household. Paying close attention is itself a form of justice.
"Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? "
"Who can honestly say, 'I've made my heart completely clean, I'm free of any wrongdoing'? No one really can."
None of us gets to claim we're without fault, so let that make you gentle with others' failings the way I'm gentle with yours. Humility about your own flaws is where grace begins.
"Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD. "
"Rigged scales and dishonest measurements - both are equally detestable to God."
Be honest in the small transactions of daily life, not just the big moral questions. Integrity in the little things is where real character is actually tested.
"Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. "
"Even a child shows who they really are through what they do - whether their actions are honest and right."
Your actions reveal who you really are far more than your words do, at any age. Let your life, not just your claims, show your character.
"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. "
"The ear that hears and the eye that sees - both were made by God."
Use your eyes and ears fully - really notice people and the world around you. Perception is a gift, don't waste it on distraction.
"Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. "
"Don't love sleep too much, or you'll end up poor - stay alert and active, and you'll have enough to eat."
Wake up to your life, stay engaged and present. The effort you put in now is what provides for you later.
"It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. "
"'It's worthless, it's worthless,' says the buyer, haggling down the price - but the moment they walk away, they brag about the great deal they got."
Be honest in your dealings with people, even in small negotiations. Don't say one thing to gain an advantage and then boast about deceiving someone.
"There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. "
"Gold and piles of rubies exist in the world, but words spoken with real knowledge are the rarer, more precious jewel."
Treasure wisdom and truth over money. The words you speak with real understanding are worth more than any wealth you could gather.
"Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. "
"If someone's foolish enough to guarantee a stranger's debt, take their coat as collateral - hold something of theirs if they've made that risky promise for someone they barely know."
Be generous, but be wise about financial commitments you make for others. Don't let a moment's pressure to seem generous put your own security recklessly at risk.
"Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. "
"Food gained by deceit tastes sweet at first, but afterwards it turns to gravel in your mouth."
Shortcuts built on dishonesty never satisfy in the end, no matter how good they taste at first. Choose the harder, honest road - it's the one that actually feeds you.
"Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. "
"Plans succeed when you get good advice - even something as serious as going to war needs wise counsel first."
Don't make your biggest decisions in isolation. Seek out people who'll give you honest, wise counsel before you commit to something serious.
"He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. "
"A gossip who goes around spreading talk will reveal your secrets too - so keep your distance from anyone who's overly flattering with their words."
Be discerning about who you let close, especially those whose words seem too smooth. True friends protect your trust, they don't trade in your secrets.
"Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. "
"Whoever curses their father or mother will have their own life's light snuffed out into total darkness."
Honour your parents even when it's difficult. The relationship you have with them shapes more of your life's 'light' than you might expect.
"An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. "
"Wealth grabbed quickly at the start won't end up being a blessing in the end."
Be patient in how you build your life. The things worth having are usually worth working for slowly, not grabbing all at once.
"Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. "
"Don't say 'I'll get back at them for this' - instead, wait, and trust that things will be set right."
Let go of revenge. I know how much it hurts to be wronged, but holding onto payback only chains you to the person who hurt you. Release it, and you'll be free.
"Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. "
"Rigged weights are detestable to God, and a dishonest scale is simply not good."
Integrity in your business and dealings with others matters to me. Don't let profit tempt you into cutting corners on honesty.
"Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? "
"A person's steps are guided by something greater than themselves - so how can anyone fully understand their own path?"
You don't have to have your whole path figured out. Trust that there's a bigger story unfolding even when your own way feels unclear.
"It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry. "
"It's a trap to rashly promise something sacred and only afterwards stop to think about whether you can actually follow through."
Let your yes be yes. Think carefully before you make promises, so your word can be something people - and you - can actually trust.
"A wise king scaftereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. "
"A wise leader roots out wrongdoing among his people and brings the full weight of justice down on it."
Wherever you have responsibility over others, don't shy away from addressing wrongdoing fairly and directly. Real care sometimes means confronting what's wrong, not avoiding it.
"The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. "
"A person's spirit is like a lamp lit by God, shining light into every hidden corner inside them."
Let the light inside you search out what's hidden in your own heart. Real change starts with honest self-examination, not pretending everything's already fine.
"Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. "
"Mercy and honesty are what keep a ruler secure - his authority is held up by mercy, not fear or force."
Lead with mercy, not control. Whatever influence you carry in your family, workplace or community will last longest when it's built on kindness and truth.
"The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. "
"A young man's glory is his physical strength, and an old man's beauty is his grey hair."
Don't measure your worth only by youthful strength, and don't dismiss age as decline. Every season of your life has its own kind of beauty and value - honour both in yourself and others.
"The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly. "
"A painful wound can actually cleanse away wrongdoing - sharp correction reaches down and purifies what's inside a person."
Don't run from the hard, painful moments that correct you. Sometimes the sharpest lessons are the ones that reshape you for the better - I won't leave you there, but I won't spare you the growth either.