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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 20 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/proverbs/20.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" 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href="../proverbs/19.htm" title="Proverbs 19">◄</a> Proverbs 20 <a href="../proverbs/21.htm" title="Proverbs 21">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/proverbs/20.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="line1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls.</p><p class="line2">Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;</p><p class="line2">to rouse his anger is to risk your life.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;</p><p class="line2">only fools insist on quarreling.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Those too lazy to plow in the right season</p><p class="line2">will have no food at the harvest.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Though good advice lies deep within the heart,</p><p class="line2">a person with understanding will draw it out.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Many will say they are loyal friends,</p><p class="line2">but who can find one who is truly reliable?</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>The godly walk with integrity;</p><p class="line2">blessed are their children who follow them.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence,</p><p class="line2">distinguishing the bad from the good.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart;</p><p class="line2">I am pure and free from sin”?</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>False weights and unequal measures<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a>—</p><p class="line2">the LORD detests double standards of every kind.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Even children are known by the way they act,</p><p class="line2">whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Ears to hear and eyes to see—</p><p class="line2">both are gifts from the LORD.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>If you love sleep, you will end in poverty.</p><p class="line2">Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,”</p><p class="line2">then brags about getting a bargain!</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Wise words are more valuable</p><p class="line2">than much gold and many rubies.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.</p><p class="line2">Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a></p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Stolen bread tastes sweet,</p><p class="line2">but it turns to gravel in the mouth.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Plans succeed through good counsel;</p><p class="line2">don’t go to war without wise advice.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>A gossip goes around telling secrets,</p><p class="line2">so don’t hang around with chatterers.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>If you insult your father or mother,</p><p class="line2">your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>An inheritance obtained too early in life</p><p class="line2">is not a blessing in the end.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.”</p><p class="line2">Wait for the LORD to handle the matter.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>The LORD detests double standards;</p><p class="line2">he is not pleased by dishonest scales.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>The LORD directs our steps,</p><p class="line2">so why try to understand everything along the way?</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God</p><p class="line2">and only later counting the cost.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat,</p><p class="line2">then runs his threshing wheel over them.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>The LORD’s light penetrates the human spirit,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a></p><p class="line2">exposing every hidden motive.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;</p><p class="line2">his throne is made secure through love.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>The glory of the young is their strength;</p><p class="line2">the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Physical punishment cleanses away evil;<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a></p><p class="line2">such discipline purifies the heart.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">20:10 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">20:16 </span><span class="ft">An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text is </span><span class="it">for a promiscuous woman.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">20:27 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">The human spirit is the </span><span class="sc"><span class="it">Lord</span></span><span class="it">’s light.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">20:30 </span><span class="ft">The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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