Proverbs 20:22-30

22 Do not say, ¹"I will repay evil"; ²wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

23 ³Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and ⁴false scales are not good.

24 A man's ⁵steps 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 ⁶after making vows.

26 A wise king ⁷winnows the wicked and drives ⁸the wheel over them.

27 ⁹The spirit^[a] of man is the lamp of the LORD, ¹⁰searching all ¹¹his innermost parts.

28 ¹²Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his ¹³throne is upheld.

29 The glory of young men is their strength, but ¹⁴the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

30 ¹⁵Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean ¹⁶the innermost parts.

Cross References

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

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew breath