Proverbs 20:21-30

21 ¹An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

22 Do not say, ²"I will repay evil"; ³wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

23 ⁴Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and ⁵false scales are not good.

24 A man's ⁶steps 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 ⁷after making vows.

26 A wise king ⁸winnows the wicked and drives ⁹the wheel over them.

27 ¹⁰The spirit^[a] of man is the lamp of the LORD, ¹¹searching all ¹²his innermost parts.

28 ¹³Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his ¹⁴throne is upheld.

29 The glory of young men is their strength, but ¹⁵the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

30 ¹⁶Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean ¹⁷the innermost parts.

Cross References

• 1. See Proverbs 13:11
• 2. Proverbs 24:29; [Proverbs 17:13; Matthew 5:39; Romans 12:17, 19; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9]
• 3. Psalms 27:14
• 4. ver. 10
• 5. See Proverbs 11:1
• 6. See Proverbs 16:9
• 7. [Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5]
• 8. [Matthew 3:12]
• 9. Isaiah 28:27
• 10. [1 Corinthians 2:11]
• 11. [Zephaniah 1:12]
• 12. Proverbs 18:8
• 13. Proverbs 3:3
• 14. See Proverbs 16:12
• 15. Proverbs 16:31
• 16. [Isaiah 53:5]
• 17. [See ver. 27 above]

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew breath