Proverbios 20
Dios Habla Hoy
20 El vino hace insolente al hombre;
las bebidas fuertes lo alborotan;
bajo sus efectos nadie actúa sabiamente.
2 Un rey furioso es como un león rugiente;
quien lo provoca, pone su vida en peligro.
3 Es honra del hombre evitar discusiones,
mas cualquier necio puede iniciarlas.
4 Cuando es tiempo de arar, el perezoso no ara;
pero al llegar la cosecha, buscará y no encontrará.
5 Las intenciones secretas son como aguas profundas,
pero el que es inteligente sabe descubrirlas.
6 Hay muchos que presumen de leales,
pero no se halla a nadie en quien se pueda confiar.
7 ¡Felices los hijos que deja
quien ha vivido con rectitud y honradez!
8 Cuando el rey toma asiento en el tribunal,
le basta una sola mirada para barrer el mal.
9 Nadie puede decir: «Tengo puro el corazón,
estoy limpio de pecado.»
10 Pesas falsas y medidas con trampa
son dos cosas que el Señor aborrece.
11 Por sus acciones se conoce
si un joven se conduce con rectitud.
12 El oído para oír y el ojo para ver
fueron creados por el Señor.
13 No te entregues al sueño, o te quedarás pobre;
manténte despierto y tendrás pan de sobra.
14 «¡Que mala mercancía!», dice el comprador,
pero una vez comprada se felicita a sí mismo.
15 Vale más quien habla con sabiduría,
que todo el oro y las joyas del mundo.
16 Al que salga fiador por un extraño,
quítale la ropa y tómasela en prenda.
17 Al hombre le gusta alimentarse de mentiras,
aunque a la larga le resulte como bocado de tierra.
18 Los planes se afirman con un buen consejo;
la guerra se hace con una buena estrategia.
19 El chismoso no sabe guardar un secreto,
así que no te juntes con gente chismosa.
20 El que maldice a su padre o a su madre,
morirá en la más espantosa oscuridad.
21 Lo que al principio se adquiere fácilmente,
al final no es motivo de alegría.
22 Nunca hables de tomar venganza;
confía en el Señor, y él te hará triunfar.
23 El Señor aborrece el uso de pesas falsas;
las balanzas falsas son reprobables.
24 El Señor dirige los pasos del hombre;
nadie conoce su propio destino.
25 Es peligroso que el hombre le prometa algo a Dios
y que después reconsidere su promesa.
26 El rey sabio aleja de sí a los malvados
y los aplasta bajo una rueda.
27 El espíritu que Dios ha dado al hombre
es luz que alumbra lo más profundo de su ser.
28 El rey se mantiene seguro en su trono
cuando practica el amor y la verdad.
29 El orgullo de los jóvenes está en su fuerza;
la honra de los ancianos, en sus canas.
30 La maldad se cura con golpes y heridas;
los golpes hacen sanar la conciencia.
Proverbs 20
King James Version
20 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
2 The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in 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 every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
8 A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord.
11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.
13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
21 An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.
22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.
23 Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good.
24 Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?
25 It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.
26 A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.
29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.
30 The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.
Proverbs 20
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 20
Who Can Find Someone Truly Faithful?[a]
1 Wine encourages recklessness and strong drink leads to brawls;
anyone who allows them to seduce him is not wise.[b]
2 The anger of a king is like the roar of a lion;
he who provokes him places his life in jeopardy.
3 It is honorable to avoid strife,
but every fool is quarrelsome.
4 The idler[c] does not plow in season;
so at harvest-time he looks for a crop in vain.
5 The purpose of a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a discerning person will draw it out.
6 Many declare their loyalty,
but who can find someone truly faithful?
7 When a man leads a blameless and upright life,
blessed are the children who succeed him.
8 A king who is seated on the throne of judgment
will eradicate all evil with a mere glance.
9 Who can truly say, “I have cleansed my heart
and I am purified of all sin”?[d]
10 Weights and measures that are not consistent
are an abomination to the Lord.
11 By his very actions a child reveals
whether his conduct is innocent and upright.
12 The ear that hears and the eye that sees—
the Lord has made both of them.
13 Do not love sleep if you wish to avoid poverty;
remain awake and you will never lack food.
14 “No good, no good,” says the buyer,
but then he goes forth to boast about his bargain.[e]
15 There is gold or an abundance of costly pearls,
but the lips that reveal knowledge are a rare jewel.
16 Take the garment of anyone who becomes surety for a stranger;
demand a pledge as security for persons unknown to you.[f]
17 Bread obtained by deceit may taste sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth is filled with grit.
18 Plans will succeed when good advice is accepted;
follow wise guidance when waging war.
19 A tale-bearer will reveal secrets;
so do not associate with a gossip.
20 If anyone curses his father or mother,[g]
his lamp will go out in utter darkness.
21 Possessions that are quickly acquired in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil,”[h]
but trust in the Lord, who will help you.
23 Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and dishonest scales are not acceptable to him.
24 A man’s steps are directed by the Lord;
how then can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is rash to pledge a sacred gift,
or to make a vow and then have second thoughts.[i]
26 A wise king winnows the wicked
and requites them for their guilt.[j]
27 The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
that searches out the innermost self.
28 Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king,
and his throne is founded on saving justice.
29 The glory of youths is their strength,
but the splendor of the aged is their gray hair.
30 Evil is cleansed away by blows that wound,
and beatings chasten the innermost being.[k]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:1 In the midst of these stand-alone proverbs, a few present the ideal figure of a king who dispenses justice (vv. 8, 26, 28); others delicately note commercial customs (v. 14), flog idlers again (vv. 4, 13), and return to trickery used in weights and measures (v. 23) or in fraud of any kind (vv. 17, 21). If one saying justifies corporal punishment (v. 30), others inveigh against the desire for vengeance (vv. 3, 22). Then amidst these sayings for familial, social, and even economic life, there appears a more profound reflection on the mystery of life in which God is at work (vv. 24, 27). A witness of a deep moral and religious sense, verse 9 recognizes the ineradicable tendency of human beings toward evil, from which they cannot free themselves by their own powers.
- Proverbs 20:1 Those who drink too much wine or hard liquor become scoffers and brawlers (see Hos 7:5). Drunkenness leads to poverty (Prov 23:20-21), strife and brawling (Prov 23:29-30), and perversion of justice (Prov 31:4-5).
- Proverbs 20:4 Idler: see note on Prov 6:6.
- Proverbs 20:9 No humans can claim to be sinless (see Job 14:4; Rom 3:23), except those whose sins are forgiven through the power of God (see 1 Ki 8:46ff; Job 4:17; 14:4; Pss 51:2ff; 130:3-4; Rom 3:23-24; 1 Jn 1:8).
- Proverbs 20:14 In Old Testament times, people arrived at the price of things through bargaining. The buyers would devalue things in order to buy them at bargain prices and then boast about their purchase.
- Proverbs 20:16 The words are like those of a judge against one who has imprudently made himself a guarantor (see Prov 6:1-5). A garment could be taken as security for a debt (see Deut 24:10-13).
- Proverbs 20:20 Curses his father or mother: such an action (see also Prov 30:11, 17) was punishable by death (see Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9).
- Proverbs 20:22 I will repay evil: vengeance is the province of the Lord, not of his faithful people. He will repay the wicked for their actions (see Deut 32:35; Ps 94:1). Trust in the Lord: see Pss 27:14; 37:34.
- Proverbs 20:25 Vows should be made without haste and should always be carried out (see also Eccl 5:1; Jer 44:25).
- Proverbs 20:26 Winnows the wicked and requites them for their guilt: literally, “winnows the wicked and causes the wheel to pass over them,” an example taken from the carts used in threshing at that time. The wheel of the cart separated the grain from the husk (see Isa 28:27-28); in the same way, the wicked will be separated from the righteous and punished.
- Proverbs 20:30 Once again (see Prov 10:13; 13:24, and note; 14:3; 19:29; 22:15) the idea is put forth that some type of punishment is needed to restrain evil.
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