Proverbs 20:12-22
Proverbs 20:12-22 The Message (MSG)
Ears that hear and eyes that see— we get our basic equipment from GOD! Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse. Wake up and get up; then there’ll be food on the table. The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,” then goes off boasting of the bargain. Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems. Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; beware of accepting what a transient has pawned. Stolen bread tastes sweet, but soon your mouth is full of gravel. Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get. Gossips can’t keep secrets, so never confide in blabbermouths. Anyone who curses father and mother extinguishes light and exists benighted. A bonanza at the beginning is no guarantee of blessing at the end. Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!” Wait for GOD; he’ll settle the score.
Proverbs 20:12-22 King James Version (KJV)
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, The LORD hath made even both of them. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: And take a pledge of him for a strange woman. Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Every purpose is established by counsel: And with good advice make war. He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed. Say not thou, I will recompense evil; But wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
Proverbs 20:12-22 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made both of them. Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food. “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts. There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for foreigners, hold him in pledge. Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance. He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip. He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness. An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end. Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
Proverbs 20:12-22 New Century Version (NCV)
The LORD has made both these things: ears to hear and eyes to see. If you love to sleep, you will be poor. If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food. Buyers say, “This is bad. It’s no good.” Then they go away and brag about what they bought. There is gold and plenty of rubies, but only a few people speak with knowledge. Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger’s debts, and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes. Stolen food may taste sweet at first, but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel. Get advice if you want your plans to work. If you go to war, get the advice of others. Gossips can’t keep secrets, so avoid people who talk too much. Those who curse their father or mother will be like a light going out in darkness. Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning will do you no good in the end. Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.” Wait for the LORD, and he will make things right.
Proverbs 20:12-22 American Standard Version (ASV)
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Jehovah hath made even both of them. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. It is bad, it is bad, saith the buyer; But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. There is gold, and abundance of rubies; But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for foreigners. Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Every purpose is established by counsel; And by wise guidance make thou war. He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; Therefore company not with him that openeth wide his lips. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, His lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed. Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.
Proverbs 20:12-22 New International Version (NIV)
Ears that hear and eyes that see— the LORD has made them both. Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase. Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider. Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel. Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance. A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness. An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end. Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.
Proverbs 20:12-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both. Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. “It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger, And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress. Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war. He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness. An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning Will not be blessed at the end. Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
Proverbs 20:12-22 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The [omnipotent] LORD has made both of them. Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread. “It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless,” says the buyer [as he negotiates the price]; But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain]. There is gold, and an abundance of pearls, But the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all]. [Job 28:12, 16-19; Prov 3:15; 8:11] [The judge tells the creditor], “Take the clothes of one who is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [when he guarantees a loan] for foreigners.” [Prov 27:13] Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair]. Plans are established by counsel; So make war [only] with wise guidance. He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with a gossip [who talks freely or flatters]. [Rom 16:17, 18] Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp [of life] will be extinguished in time of darkness. An inheritance hastily gained [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end. [Prov 28:20; Hab 2:6] Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait [expectantly] for the LORD, and He will rescue and save you. [Deut 32:35; 2 Sam 16:12; Rom 12:17-19; 1 Thess 5:15; 1 Pet 3:9]
Proverbs 20:12-22 New Living Translation (NLT)
Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the LORD. If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat! The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,” then brags about getting a bargain! Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies. Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth. Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice. A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers. If you insult your father or mother, your light will be snuffed out in total darkness. An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end. Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the LORD to handle the matter.
Proverbs 20:12-22 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Lovers of God have been given eyes to see and ears to hear from God. If you spend all your time sleeping, you’ll grow poor. So wake up, sleepyhead! Don’t sleep on the job. And then there will be plenty of food on your table. The buyer says, as he haggles over the price, “That’s junk. It’s worthless!” Then he goes out and brags, “Look at the great bargain I got!” You may have an abundance of wealth, piles of gold and jewels, but there is something of far greater worth: speaking revelation-words of knowledge. Anyone stupid enough to guarantee a loan for a stranger deserves to have his property held as security. What you obtain dishonestly may seem sweet at first, but sooner or later you’ll live to regret it. If you solicit good advice, then your plans will succeed. So don’t charge into battle without wisdom, for wars are won by skillful strategy. A blabbermouth will reveal your secrets, so stay away from people who can’t keep their mouths shut. If you despise your father or mother, your life will flicker out like a lamp, extinguished into the deepest darkness. If an inheritance is gained too early in life, it will not be blessed in the end. Don’t ever say, “I’m going to get even with them if it’s the last thing I do!” Wrap God’s grace around your heart and he will be the one to vindicate you.
Proverbs 20:12-22 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts. There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners. Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness. An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.