Proverbs 20

1 Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled; it is not wise to get drunk on them.

2 An angry king is like a roaring lion. Making him angry may cost you your life.

3 Foolish people are always fighting, but avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.

4 Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none.

5 People’s thoughts can be like a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.

6 Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person.

7 The good people who live honest lives will be a blessing to their children.

8 When a king sits on his throne to judge, he knows evil when he sees it.

9 No one can say, “I am innocent; I have never done anything wrong.”

10 The Lord hates both these things: dishonest weights and dishonest measures.

11 Even children are known by their behavior; their actions show if they are innocent and good.

12 The Lord has made both these things: ears to hear and eyes to see.

13 If you love to sleep, you will be poor. If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food.

14 Buyers say, “This is bad. It’s no good.” Then they go away and brag about what they bought.

15 There is gold and plenty of rubies, but only a few people speak with knowledge.

16 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger’s debts, and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.

17 Stolen food may taste sweet at first, but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel.

18 Get advice if you want your plans to work. If you go to war, get the advice of others.

19 Gossips can’t keep secrets, so avoid people who talk too much.

20 Those who curse their father or mother will be like a light going out in darkness.

21 Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning will do you no good in the end.

22 Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.” Wait for the Lord, and he will make things right.

23 The Lord hates dishonest weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

24 The Lord decides what a person will do; no one understands what his life is all about.

25 It’s dangerous to promise something to God too quickly. After you’ve thought about it, it may be too late.

26 A wise king sorts out the evil people, and he punishes them as they deserve.

27 The Lord looks deep inside people and searches through their thoughts.

28 Loyalty and truth keep a king in power; he continues to rule if he is loyal.

29 The young glory in their strength, and the old are honored for their gray hair.
30 Hard punishment will get rid of evil, and whippings can change an evil heart.

Proverbs 21

1 The Lord can control a king’s mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases.

2 You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord judges your reasons.

3 Doing what is right and fair is more important to the Lord than sacrifices.

4 Proud looks, proud thoughts, and evil actions are sin.

5 The plans of hard-working people earn a profit, but those who act too quickly become poor.

6 Wealth that comes from telling lies vanishes like a mist and leads to death.

7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, because they refuse to do what is right.

8 Guilty people live dishonest lives, but honest people do right.
9 It is better to live in a corner on the roof 

10 Evil people only want to harm others. Their neighbors get no mercy from them.

11 If you punish those who make fun of wisdom, a foolish person may gain some wisdom. But if you teach the wise, they will get knowledge.

12 God, who is always right, watches the house of the wicked and brings ruin on every evil person.

13 Whoever ignores the poor when they cry for help will also cry for help and not be answered.

14 A secret gift will calm an angry person; a present given in secrecy will quiet great anger.

15 When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are ruined.

16 Whoever does not use good sense will end up among the dead.

17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and perfume will never be rich.

18 Wicked people will suffer instead of good people, and those who cannot be trusted will suffer instead of those who do right.

19 It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quarreling and complaining wife.

20 Wise people’s houses are full of the best foods and olive oil, but fools waste everything they have.

21 Whoever tries to live right and be loyal finds life, success, and honor.

22 A wise person can defeat a city full of warriors and tear down the defenses they trust in.

23 Those who are careful about what they say keep themselves out of trouble.

24 People who act with stubborn pride are called “proud,” “bragger,” and “mocker.”

25 Lazy people’s desire for sleep will kill them, because they refuse to work.

26 All day long they wish for more, but good people give without holding back.

27 The Lord hates sacrifices brought by evil people, particularly when they offer them for the wrong reasons.

28 A lying witness will be forgotten, but a truthful witness will speak on.

29 Wicked people are stubborn, but good people think carefully about what they do.

30 There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the Lord.
31 You can get the horses ready for battle, but it is the Lord who gives the victory.

Proverbs 22

1 Being respected is more important than having great riches. To be well thought of is better than silver or gold.

2 The rich and the poor are alike in that the Lord made them all.

3 The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.

4 Respecting the Lord and not being proud will bring you wealth, honor, and life.

5 Evil people’s lives are like paths covered with thorns and traps. People who guard themselves don’t have such problems.

6 Train children to live the right way, and when they are old, they will not stray from it.

7 The rich rule over the poor, and borrowers are servants to lenders.

8 Those who plan evil will receive trouble. Their cruel anger will come to an end.

9 Generous people will be blessed, because they share their food with the poor.

10 Get rid of the one who makes fun of wisdom. Then fighting, quarrels, and insults will stop.

11 Whoever loves pure thoughts and kind words will have even the king as a friend.

12 The Lord guards knowledge, but he destroys false words.

13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion outside! I might get killed out in the street!”

14 The words of an unfaithful wife are like a deep trap. Those who make the Lord angry will get caught by them.

15 Every child is full of foolishness, but punishment can get rid of it.

16 Whoever gets rich by mistreating the poor, and gives presents to the wealthy, will become poor.

Other Wise Sayings

17 Listen carefully to what wise people say; pay attention to what I am teaching you.

18 It will be good to keep these things in mind so that you are ready to repeat them.

19 I am teaching them to you now so that you will put your trust in the Lord.

20 I have written thirty sayings for you, which give knowledge and good advice.

21 I am teaching you true and reliable words so that you can give true answers to anyone who asks.

22 Do not abuse poor people because they are poor, and do not take away the rights of the needy in court.

23 The Lord will defend them in court and will take the life of those who take away their rights.

24 Don’t make friends with quick-tempered people or spend time with those who have bad tempers.

25 If you do, you will be like them. Then you will be in real danger.

26 Don’t promise to pay what someone else owes, and don’t guarantee anyone’s loan.

27 If you cannot pay the loan, your own bed may be taken right out from under you.

28 Don’t move an old stone that marks a border, because those stones were set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see people skilled in their work? They will work for kings, not for ordinary people.