Proverbs 20:18-30

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. Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, And a false scale is not good. Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!” And after the vows to make inquiry. A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them. The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness. The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair. Stripes that wound scour away evil, And strokes reach the innermost parts.