Main Text: Proverbs 20:1 Wine [is] a mocker, Strong drink [is] a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise. 2 The wrath of a king [is] like the roaring of a lion; [Whoever] provokes him to anger sins [against] his own life. 3 [It is] honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. 4 The lazy [man] will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and [have] nothing. 5 Counsel in the heart of man [is like] deep water, But a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? 7 The righteous [man] walks in his integrity; His children [are] blessed after him. 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment Scatters all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"? 10 Diverse weights [and] diverse measures, They [are] both alike, an abomination to the LORD. 11 Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does [is] pure and right. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both. 13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, [and] you will be satisfied with bread. 14 "[It is] good for nothing," cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge [are] a precious jewel. 16 Take the garment of one who is surety [for] a stranger, And hold it as a pledge [when it] is for a seductress. 17 Bread gained by deceit [is] sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. 18 Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war. 19 He who goes about [as] a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. 20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness. 21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning Will not be blessed at the end. 22 Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. 23 Diverse weights [are] an abomination to the LORD, And dishonest scales [are] not good. 24 A man's steps [are] of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way? 25 [It is] a snare for a man to devote rashly [something as] holy, And afterward to reconsider [his] vows. 26 A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them. 27 The spirit of a man [is] the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart. 28 Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne. 29 The glory of young men [is] their strength, And the splendor of old men [is] their gray head. 30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As [do] stripes the inner depths of the heart. (NKJV)
Shouts of Grace: March 20, 2023 - Proverbs 20