Chapter Twenty

Wine is a mocker, hard liquor a brawler.  Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

The anger of a king is like the roaring of a lion.  Provoke either and you risk your life.

It is a credit to a man that he avoids strife.  Every fool is quick to quarrel.

The lazy man will not plow in season, blaming the cold weather.  But when harvest time comes, he will look for a crop and find nothing.

The motivations of the human heart are like deep waters, but one with understanding will draw them out.

Many will proclaim their faithful devotion, but who can actually find a trustworthy man?

The righteous man leads a life of integrity.  Blessed are the children that follow him.

The king who sits on the judgment seat can distinguish evil with his eyes.

Who can say, “I have kept my conscience clear.  I have been cleansed of my sins”?

Differing weights, disparate measurements, both are an abomination to Jehovah.

Even a child is judged by his actions, whether or not they be pure and upright.

Ears that hear, eyes that see, these are gifts from Jehovah.

Do  not love sleep or you will be poor.  Keep your eyes open and you will have plenty of food.

“It’s no good, it’s no good,” declares the buyer.  But, leaving with his purchase, he boasts of its value.

Gold and jewels are abundant, but lips that speak words of wisdom are a rare treasure.

Accept an article of clothing as collateral for someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.  Take possession of it as a pledge, if it is done for a foreigner.

Food acquired by fraud may taste sweet to a man, but his mouth will later be filled with gravel.

Plans are devised through counsel and only through counsel should war be waged.

Those who go about gossiping betray secrets.  Therefore, don’t trust scandalmongers.

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

An inheritance acquired prematurely may, in the end, not be a happy one.

Do not say, “I will avenge this wrong!”  Wait for Jehovah; he will save you.

Dishonest weights are detested by Jehovah: false scales bring no good.

The steps a man takes are determined by Jehovah.  How, then, can anyone understand his own path.

A man may fall into a trap by making a holy dedication rashly and then, later, questioning it.

The wise king sifts out the wicked and drives a threshing wheel over them.

The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah shedding light upon his innermost being.

It is mercy and truth that preserve a monarch.  His throne is sustained by devotion.

The glory of a young man is his strength; the splendor of an old man lies in his gray hair.

Wounding blows cleanse evil; floggings purge the innermost being.