Proverbs 20

1 Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome—
a staggering drunk is not much fun.

2 Quick-tempered leaders are like mad dogs—
cross them and they bite your head off.

3 It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels,
but fools love to pick fights.

4 A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring
has nothing to harvest in the fall.

5 Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
a wise person draws from the well within.

6 Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving,
but where on earth can you find one?

7 God-loyal people, living honest lives,
make it much easier for their children.

8 Leaders who know their business and care
keep a sharp eye out for the shoddy and cheap,

9 For who among us can be trusted
to be always diligent and honest?

10 Switching price tags and padding the expense account
are two things God hates.

11 Young people eventually reveal by their actions
if their motives are on the up and up.
Drinking from the Chalice of Knowledge

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
we get our basic equipment from God!

13 Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse.
Wake up and get up; then there’ll be food on the table.

14 The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,”
then goes off boasting of the bargain.

15 Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge
is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.

16 Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;
beware of accepting what a transient has pawned.

17 Stolen bread tastes sweet,
but soon your mouth is full of gravel.

18 Form your purpose by asking for counsel,
then carry it out using all the help you can get.

19 Gossips can’t keep secrets,
so never confide in blabbermouths.

20 Anyone who curses father and mother
extinguishes light and exists benighted.
The Very Steps We Take

21 A bonanza at the beginning
is no guarantee of blessing at the end.

22 Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!”
Wait for God; he’ll settle the score.

23 God hates cheating in the marketplace;
rigged scales are an outrage.

24 The very steps we take come from God;
otherwise how would we know where we’re going?

25 An impulsive vow is a trap;
later you’ll wish you could get out of it.

26 After careful scrutiny, a wise leader
makes a clean sweep of rebels and dolts.

27 God is in charge of human life,
watching and examining us inside and out.

28 Love and truth form a good leader;
sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.

29 Youth may be admired for vigor,
but gray hair gives prestige to old age.

30 A good thrashing purges evil;
punishment goes deep within us.
God Examines Our Motives

Proverbs 21

1 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God;
he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

2 We justify our actions by appearances;
God examines our motives.

3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors
mean far more to God than religious performance.

4 Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—
are just plain sin.

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;
hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating;
get paid with smoke and a promotion—to death!

7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot
because they refuse to use it to help others.

8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles;
pure motives take you straight down the road.
Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst

9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack
than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

10 Wicked souls love to make trouble;
they feel nothing for friends and neighbors.

11 Simpletons only learn the hard way,
but the wise learn by listening.

12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked
and undo the evil they’ve planned.

13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor,
your cries will go unheard, unanswered.

14 A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person;
a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.

15 Good people celebrate when justice triumphs,
but for the workers of evil it’s a bad day.

16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow
ends up in a congregation of ghosts.

17 You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life!
The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs;
the plotter gets it in the end.

19 Better to live in a tent in the wild
than with a cross and petulant spouse.

20 Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home;
fools put it all out for yard sales.

21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind
finds life itself—glorious life!

22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers—
their trusted defenses fell to pieces!

23 Watch your words and hold your tongue;
you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.

24 You know their names—Brash, Impudent, Blasphemer—
intemperate hotheads, every one.

25 Lazy people finally die of hunger
because they won’t get up and go to work.

26 Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have;
the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks;
it’s even worse when they use it to get ahead.

28 A lying witness is unconvincing;
a person who speaks truth is respected.

29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot;
honest people are sure of their steps.

30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived,
can get the better of God.

31 Do your best, prepare for the worst—
then trust God to bring victory.
The Cure Comes Through Discipline

Proverbs 22

1 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;
a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
God made them both!

3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God
is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;
if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

6 Point your kids in the right direction—
when they’re old they won’t be lost.

7 The poor are always ruled over by the rich,
so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power.

8 Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,
and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

9 Generous hands are blessed hands
because they give bread to the poor.

10 Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down;
you need a break from bickering and griping!

11 God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken;
good leaders also delight in their friendship.

12 God guards knowledge with a passion,
but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.

13 The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose!
If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”

14 The mouth of a whore is a bottomless pit;
you’ll fall in that pit if you’re on the outs with God.

15 Young people are prone to foolishness and fads;
the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.

16 Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich—whichever,
you’ll end up the poorer for it.
The Thirty Precepts of the Sages
Don’t Move Back the Boundary Lines

17 Listen carefully to my wisdom;
take to heart what I can teach you.
You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within;18 you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.

19 To make sure your foundation is trust in God,
I’m laying it all out right now just for you.

20 I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—
tested guidelines to live by.

21 Believe me—these are truths that work,
and will keep you accountable
to those who sent you.

22 Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor,
and don’t use your position to crush the weak,

23 Because God will come to their defense;
the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.

24 Don’t hang out with angry people;
don’t keep company with hotheads.

25 Bad temper is contagious—
don’t get infected.

26 Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
hocking your house against a lucky chance.

27 The time will come when you have to pay up;
you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

28 Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines
staked out long ago by your ancestors.

29 Observe people who are good at their work—
skilled workers are always in demand and admired;
they don’t take a back seat to anyone.
<\n>Restrain Yourself