Proverbs 20:1-21

¹Wine is a lecherous thing, and drunkenness is full of noise; whoever delighteth in these, shall not be wise.

²As the roaring of a lion, so and the dread of a king (or and so the king’s wrath); he that stirreth him to ire, sinneth against his (own) soul.

³It is honour to a man that separateth himself from strivings; but fond men be meddled with despisings. (It is honourable for someone to separate himself from strife, or from arguments; but the foolish shall mix, or mingle, themselves in with arguments.)

⁴A slow man would not ear for cold; therefore he shall beg in summer, and men shall not give to him. (A lazy person will not plow when it is cold; then at harvest time he shall beg, but others shall not give him anything.)

⁵As deep water, so counsel is in the heart of a man; but a wise man shall draw it out. (Advice in a person’s heart (can be) like deep water or (can be) as deep as the water; but a wise person shall draw it out.)

⁶Many men be called merciful; but who shall find a faithful man? (Many people be called, or be thought to be, merciful; but who shall truly find a faithful person?)

⁷Forsooth a just man that goeth in his simpleness, shall leave blessed sons after him. (For a righteous person who goeth in his honesty, or in his integrity, shall leave blessed sons and daughters after him.)

⁸A king that sitteth in the seat of doom, destroyeth all evil by his looking. (A king who sitteth on the seat of judgement, knoweth evil when he seeth it.)

⁹Who may say, Mine heart is clean; I am clean of sin?

¹⁰A weight, greater in buying, and a weight, less (er) in selling, a measure and a measure, ever either is abominable at God (or these be abominable to God).

¹¹A child is understood by his studies (or Even a child is known by his deeds), if his works be rightful and clean.

¹²An ear hearing, and an eye seeing, or The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, God made ever either (or God made them both).

¹³Do not thou love sleep, lest neediness oppress thee; open thine eyes, and be thou ful filled with loaves.

¹⁴Each buyer saith, It is evil, it is evil; and when he hath gone away, then he shall have glory, (or but after he hath gone away, then he shall boast about it).

¹⁵Gold, and the multitude of gems, and a precious vessel, be the lips of knowing (or be the value of words of knowledge, or of wise words).

¹⁶Take thou away the cloth of him that was (a) borrow of another man; and for strangers take thou away a wed from him. (Take thou the cloak of him who pledged for another person; and take thou a pledge from him for strangers.)

¹⁷The bread of a leasing, that is, gotten by a leasing, is sweet to a man, (or Bread gotten by a lie, tasteth sweet to a person); and afterward his mouth shall be filled with reckoning or but afterward his mouth shall be filled with little pebble stones.

¹⁸Thoughts be made strong by counsels; and battles shall be treated by governances. (Plans be made into successes by good advice; and battles be won by careful planning.)

¹⁹Be thou not meddled with him that showeth privates, and goeth guilefully, and alargeth his lips. (Be thou not mixed in, or mingled, with him who telleth secrets, and goeth deceitfully, and flappeth his lips.)

²⁰The light of him that curseth his father and mother, shall be quenched in the midst of darknesses.

²¹Heritage to which men hasteth (to get) in the beginning, shall want blessing in the last time. (An inheritance which someone hasteneth to get early, shall lack blessing in the end.)