| Chapter 20 |
1 | Wine [is] a scorner -- strong drink [is] noisy, And any going astray in it is not wise.
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2 | The fear of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion, He who is causing him to be wroth is wronging his soul.
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3 | An honour to a man is cessation from strife, And every fool intermeddleth.
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4 | Because of winter the slothful plougheth not, He asketh in harvest, and there is nothing.
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5 | Counsel in the heart of a man [is] deep water, And a man of understanding draweth it up.
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6 | A multitude of men proclaim each his kindness, And a man of stedfastness who doth find?
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7 | The righteous is walking habitually in his integrity, O the happiness of his sons after him!
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8 | A king sitting on a throne of judgment, Is scattering with his eyes all evil,
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9 | Who saith, 'I have purified my heart, I have been cleansed from my sin?'
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10 | A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, Even both of them [are] an abomination to Jehovah.
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11 | Even by his actions a youth maketh himself known, Whether his work be pure or upright.
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12 | A hearing ear, and a seeing eye, Jehovah hath made even both of them.
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13 | Love not sleep, lest thou become poor, Open thine eyes -- be satisfied [with] bread.
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14 | 'Bad, bad,' saith the buyer, And going his way then he boasteth himself.
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15 | Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, Yea, a precious vessel, [are] lips of knowledge.
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16 | Take his garment when a stranger hath been surety, And for strangers pledge it.
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17 | Sweet to a man [is] the bread of falsehood, And afterwards is his mouth filled [with] gravel.
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18 | Purposes by counsel thou dost establish, And with plans make thou war.
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19 | A revealer of secret counsels is the busybody, And for a deceiver [with] his lips make not thyself surety.
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20 | Whoso is vilifying his father and his mother, Extinguished is his lamp in blackness of darkness.
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21 | An inheritance gotten wrongly at first, Even its latter end is not blessed.
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22 | Do not say, 'I recompense evil,' Wait for Jehovah, and He delivereth thee.
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23 | An abomination to Jehovah [are] a stone and a stone, And balances of deceit [are] not good.
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24 | From Jehovah [are] the steps of a man, And man -- how understandeth he his way?
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25 | A snare to a man [is] he hath swallowed a holy thing, And after vows to make inquiry.
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26 | A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turneth back on them the wheel.
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27 | The breath of man [is] a lamp of Jehovah, Searching all the inner parts of the heart.
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28 | Kindness and truth keep a king, And he hath supported by kindness his throne.
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29 | The beauty of young men is their strength, And the honour of old men is grey hairs.
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30 | The bandages of a wound thou removest with the evil, Also the plagues of the inner parts of the heart!
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