HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 945
PR OVER B S 20
page 575
8
To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;
people who cherish understanding
will prosper.
28
A corrupt witness makes a mockery of
justice;
the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
9
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will be destroyed.
29
Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to
be beaten.
10
It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury
or for a slave to rule over princes!
11
Sensible people control their temper;
they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
12
The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13
A foolish child* is a calamity to a father;
a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as
constant dripping.
14
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance
of houses and wealth,
but only the Lord can give an
understanding wife.
15
Lazy people sleep soundly,
but idleness leaves them hungry.
16
Keep the commandments and keep your life;
despising them leads to death.
17
If you help the poor, you are lending to
the Lord—
and he will repay you!
18
Discipline your children while there is hope.
Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
19
Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
If you rescue them once, you will have to
do it again.
20
Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
21
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
22
Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest.
23
Fear of the Lord leads to life,
bringing security and protection from harm.
24
Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
25
If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded
will learn a lesson;
if you correct the wise, they will be all
the wiser.
26
Children who mistreat their father or chase
away their mother
are an embarrassment and a public
disgrace.
27
If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
you will turn your back on knowledge.
19:13 Hebrew son; also in 19:27. 20:10 Hebrew A stone and a
stone, an ephah and an ephah.
20
Wine produces mockers; alcohol
leads to brawls.
Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.
1
2
The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;
to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
3
Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
only fools insist on quarreling.
4
Those too lazy to plow in the right season
will have no food at the harvest.
5
Though good advice lies deep within
the heart,
a person with understanding will
draw it out.
6
Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly reliable?
7
The godly walk with integrity;
blessed are their children who follow
them.
8
When a king sits in judgment, he weighs
all the evidence,
distinguishing the bad from the good.
9
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart;
I am pure and free from sin”?
10
False weights and unequal measures*—
the Lord detests double standards of
every kind.
11
Even children are known by the way they act,
whether their conduct is pure, and
whether it is right.
12
Ears to hear and eyes to see—
both are gifts from the Lord.
• Character
PR OV E R B S 20:11
Our conduct is a revelation of our
character. When we do evil, it is a dead
giveaway that we are nurturing evil within
us. While conduct is not the same as
character, it grows out of who we really are
and is one of the best indicators of what
kind of character we have. Luke 6:44 tells
us that we identify a tree by its fruit. The
“fruit” of our character is our conduct.