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Proverbs 20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Proverbs 20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 20
1 Wine is arrogant, strong drink is riotous;
none who are intoxicated by them are wise.[a](A)
2 The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;(B)
those who incur his anger forfeit their lives.
3 A person gains honor by avoiding strife,
while every fool starts a quarrel.[b]
4 In seedtime sluggards do not plow;
when they look for the harvest, it is not there.
5 The intention of the human heart is deep water,
but the intelligent draw it forth.[c](C)
6 Many say, “My loyal friend,”
but who can find someone worthy of trust?
7 The just walk in integrity;
happy are their children after them!
8 A king seated on the throne of judgment
dispels all evil with his glance.[d]
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,(D)
I am cleansed of my sin”?[e]
10 Varying weights, varying measures,
are both an abomination to the Lord.(E)
11 In their actions even children can playact
though their deeds be blameless and right.[f]
12 The ear that hears, the eye that sees—
the Lord has made them both.[g]
13 Do not love sleep lest you be reduced to poverty;
keep your eyes open, have your fill of food.
14 “Bad, bad!” says the buyer,
then goes away only to boast.[h]
15 One can put on gold and abundant jewels,
but wise lips are the most precious ornament.[i]
16 Take the garment of the one who became surety for a stranger;(F)
if for foreigners, exact the pledge![j]
17 Bread earned by deceit is sweet,
but afterward the mouth is filled with gravel.
18 Plans made with advice succeed;
with wise direction wage your war.
19 A slanderer reveals secrets;
so have nothing to do with a babbler!
20 Those who curse father or mother—
their lamp will go out[k] in the dead of night.(G)
21 Possessions greedily guarded at the outset
will not be blessed in the end.[l]
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil!”
Wait for the Lord, who will help you.[m](H)
23 Varying weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.(I)
24 Our steps are from the Lord;(J)
how, then, can mortals understand their way?[n]
25 It is a trap to pledge rashly a sacred gift,
and after a vow, then to reflect.[o]
26 A wise king winnows the wicked,
and threshes them under the cartwheel.[p]
27 A lamp from the Lord is human life-breath;
it searches through the inmost being.[q]
28 His steadfast loyalty safeguards the king,
and he upholds his throne by justice.(K)
29 The glory of the young is their strength,
and the dignity of the old is gray hair.(L)
30 Evil is cleansed away by bloody lashes,
and a scourging to the inmost being.
Footnotes
- 20:1 The cause stands for its effect (wine, drunken behavior). In Proverbs wine is a sign of prosperity and a symbol of feasting (3:10; 4:17; 9:2, 5) but also a potential threat to wisdom as in 20:1; 21:17; 23:29–35.
- 20:3 The honor that one might seek to gain from fighting comes of itself to the person who refrains from fighting.
- 20:5 The heart is where human plans are made and stored; they remain “deep water” until words reveal them to others. The wise know how to draw up those waters, i.e., express them. Cf. 18:4.
- 20:8 The royal throne is established in justice and the king is the agent of that justice.
- 20:9 A claim to sinlessness can be merely self-deception; see 16:2; cf. also 15:11.
- 20:11 The verb in colon A can mean either “to make oneself known” or “to play another person” (as in Gn 42:7 and 1 Kgs 14:5, 6). The second meaning makes a better parallel to colon B. The meaning is that if a child can playact, an adult can do so even more. Actions do not always reveal character.
- 20:12 Human judgments are not ultimate; the Lord expects proper use of these faculties.
- 20:14 Bartering invites playacting and masking one’s true intent. The truth of words depends on their context.
- 20:15 Wisdom is said to be preferable to gold in 3:14; 8:10, 19; 16:16. Colon B suggests that the gold and jewelry here are ornaments for the face (cf. Gn 24:53; Ex 3:22; Is 61:10). Wise lips are the most beautiful adornment, for they display the wisdom of the heart.
- 20:16 The text is not clear. See 27:13. Caution in becoming surety is always advised (cf. 6:1–3), and it is especially advisable with strangers.
- 20:20 Their lamp will go out: misfortune, even death, awaits them; cf. 13:9; Ex 21:17.
- 20:21 By definition, an inheritance is not gained by one’s own efforts but is received as a gift. If, when one first receives the inheritance, one drives everyone away, one treats it as if one acquired it by one’s own efforts. In an agricultural society, an inheritance would often be a field that would require God’s blessing to be fertile.
- 20:22 Appointing oneself an agent of divine retribution is dangerous. Better to wait for God to effect justice. Cf. 24:17–18.
- 20:24 An indication of the Lord’s inscrutable providence; cf. Jer 10:23; see Prv 21:2; cf. also 14:12.
- 20:25 This verse cautions against making vows without proper reflection; cf. Dt 23:22–25; Eccl 5:4–5.
- 20:26 The king is responsible for effecting justice. Judgment is portrayed in agricultural imagery—exposing grain to a current of air so that the chaff is blown away, and passing a wheel over the cereal to break the husk. Winnowing as image for judgment is found throughout the Bible.
- 20:27 A parallel is drawn between the life-breath that is God’s gift (Jb 32:8; 33:2) coursing through the human body (Is 2:22) and the lamp of God, which can be a symbol of divine scrutiny. In Zep 1:12, God declares, “And in that day I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.”
Proverbi 20
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Proverbi 20
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
20 Il vino è rissoso, il liquore è tumultuoso;
chiunque se ne inebria non è saggio.
2 La collera del re è simile al ruggito del leone;
chiunque lo eccita rischia la vita.
3 E' una gloria per l'uomo astenersi dalle contese,
attaccar briga è proprio degli stolti.
4 Il pigro non ara d'autunno,
e alla mietitura cerca, ma non trova nulla.
5 Come acque profonde sono i consigli nel cuore umano,
l'uomo accorto le sa attingere.
6 Molti si proclamano gente per bene,
ma una persona fidata chi la trova?
7 Il giusto si regola secondo la sua integrità;
beati i figli che lascia dietro di sé!
8 Il re che siede in tribunale
dissipa ogni male con il suo sguardo.
9 Chi può dire: «Ho purificato il cuore,
sono mondo dal mio peccato?».
10 Doppio peso e doppia misura
sono due cose in abominio al Signore.
11 Gia con i suoi giochi il fanciullo dimostra
se le sue azioni saranno pure e rette.
12 L'orecchio che ascolta e l'occhio che vede:
l'uno e l'altro ha fatto il Signore.
13 Non amare il sonno per non diventare povero,
tieni gli occhi aperti e avrai pane a sazietà.
14 «Robaccia, robaccia» dice chi compra:
ma mentre se ne va, allora se ne vanta.
15 C'è oro e ci sono molte perle,
ma la cosa più preziosa sono le labbra istruite.
16 Prendigli il vestito
perché si è fatto garante per un altro
e tienilo in pegno per gli estranei.
17 E' piacevole all'uomo il pane procurato con frode,
ma poi la sua bocca sarà piena di granelli di sabbia.
18 Pondera bene i tuoi disegni, consigliandoti,
e fà la guerra con molta riflessione.
19 Chi va in giro sparlando rivela un segreto,
non associarti a chi ha sempre aperte le labbra.
20 Chi maledice il padre e la madre
vedrà spegnersi la sua lucerna nel cuore delle tenebre.
21 I guadagni accumulati in fretta da principio
non saranno benedetti alla fine.
22 Non dire: «Voglio ricambiare il male»,
confida nel Signore ed egli ti libererà.
23 Il doppio peso è in abominio al Signore
e le bilance false non sono un bene.
24 Dal Signore sono diretti i passi dell'uomo
e come può l'uomo comprender la propria via?
25 E' un laccio per l'uomo esclamare subito: «Sacro!»
e riflettere solo dopo aver fatto il voto.
26 Un re saggio passa al vaglio i malvagi
e ritorna su di loro con la ruota.
27 Lo spirito dell'uomo è una fiaccola del Signore
che scruta tutti i segreti recessi del cuore.
28 Bontà e fedeltà vegliano sul re,
sulla bontà è basato il suo trono.
29 Vanto dei giovani è la loro forza,
ornamento dei vecchi è la canizie.
30 Le ferite sanguinanti spurgano il male,
le percosse purificano i recessi del cuore.
Proverbios 20
Nueva Versión Internacional
Proverbios 20
Nueva Versión Internacional
20 El vino lleva a la insolencia
y la cerveza al escándalo;
¡nadie bajo sus efectos se comporta sabiamente!
2 Rugido de león es la furia del rey;
quien provoca su enojo se juega la vida.
3 Honroso es al hombre evitar la contienda,
pero no hay necio que no inicie un pleito.
4 El perezoso no labra la tierra en la estación adecuada;
en tiempo de cosecha buscará y no hallará.
5 El propósito humano es como aguas profundas;
el que es inteligente lo descubrirá.
6 Son muchos los que proclaman su lealtad,
¿pero quién puede hallar a alguien digno de confianza?
7 Justo es quien lleva una vida sin tacha;
¡dichosos sus hijos después de él!
8 Cuando el rey se sienta en el tribunal,
con su sola mirada barre toda maldad.
9 ¿Quién puede afirmar: «Tengo puro el corazón;
estoy limpio de pecado»?
10 Pesas falsas y medidas engañosas:
¡vaya pareja que el Señor detesta!
11 Por sus hechos el niño deja entrever
si su conducta será pura y recta.
12 Los oídos para oír y los ojos para ver:
¡El Señor los ha creado a los dos!
13 No te des al sueño o te quedarás pobre;
mantente despierto y tendrás pan de sobra.
14 «¡No sirve, no sirve!», dice el comprador,
pero luego va y se jacta de su compra.
15 Oro hay y abundan las piedras preciosas,
pero aún más valiosas son las palabras sabias.
16 Toma la prenda del que salga fiador por un extraño;
retenla en garantía si la da en favor de desconocidos.
17 Tal vez sea agradable ganarse el pan con engaños,
pero uno acaba con la boca llena de arena.
18 Afirma tus planes con buenos consejos;
entabla el combate con buena estrategia.
19 El chismoso traiciona la confianza;
no te juntes con la gente que habla de más.
20 Al que maldiga a su padre y a su madre,
su lámpara se le apagará en la más densa oscuridad.
21 La herencia reclamada antes de tiempo
no termina siendo de bendición.
22 Nunca digas: «¡Me vengaré de ese daño!».
Confía en el Señor y él actuará por ti.
23 El Señor aborrece las balanzas adulteradas
y reprueba el uso de medidas engañosas.
24 Los pasos del hombre los dirige el Señor.
¿Cómo puede el hombre entender su propio camino?
25 Trampa es consagrar algo sin pensarlo
y más tarde reconsiderar lo prometido.
26 El rey sabio avienta como trigo a los malvados,
y los desmenuza con rueda de molino.
27 El espíritu humano es la lámpara del Señor,
pues escudriña lo más íntimo del ser.
28 La misericordia y la verdad sostienen al rey;
su trono se afirma en la misericordia.
29 La gloria de los jóvenes radica en su fuerza;
la honra de los ancianos, en sus canas.
30 Los golpes y las heridas curan la maldad;
los azotes limpian lo más íntimo del ser.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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