Proverbs 20:18-28

18 ¹Plans are established by counsel; by ²wise guidance ³wage war.

19 Whoever ⁴goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with ⁵a simple babbler.^[a]

20 ⁶If one curses his father or his mother, ⁷his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

21 ⁸An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

22 Do not say, ⁹"I will repay evil"; ¹⁰wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

23 ¹¹Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and ¹²false scales are not good.

24 A man's ¹³steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?

25 It is a snare to say rashly, "It is holy," and to reflect only ¹⁴after making vows.

26 A wise king ¹⁵winnows the wicked and drives ¹⁶the wheel over them.

27 ¹⁷The spirit^[b] of man is the lamp of the LORD, ¹⁸searching all ¹⁹his innermost parts.

28 ²⁰Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his ²¹throne is upheld.

Cross References

• 1. [Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 15:22]
• 2. Proverbs 24:6
• 3. Luke 14:31
• 4. Proverbs 11:13
• 5. Proverbs 13:3; [Romans 16:18]
• 6. Proverbs 30:11, 17; See Exodus 21:17
• 7. See 2 Samuel 21:17; Job 18:5
• 8. See Proverbs 13:11
• 9. Proverbs 24:29; [Proverbs 17:13; Matthew 5:39; Romans 12:17, 19; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9]
• 10. Psalms 27:14
• 11. ver. 10
• 12. See Proverbs 11:1
• 13. See Proverbs 16:9
• 14. [Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5]
• 15. [Matthew 3:12]
• 16. Isaiah 28:27
• 17. [1 Corinthians 2:11]
• 18. [Zephaniah 1:12]
• 19. Proverbs 18:8
• 20. Proverbs 3:3
• 21. See Proverbs 16:12

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew with one who is simple in his lips
• [b]. Hebrew breath