Proverbs 20 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Wine Is a Mocker

Pro 20:1Wine is a mocker,
Strong drink is a brawler,
And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Pro 20:2The wrath[fn] of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

Pro 20:3

Pro 20:3It is honorable for a man to stop striving,
Since any fool can start a quarrel.

Pro 20:4

Pro 20:4The lazy man will not plow because of winter;
He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

Pro 20:5

Pro 20:5Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.

Pro 20:6

Pro 20:6Most men will proclaim each his own goodness,
But who can find a faithful man?

Pro 20:7

Pro 20:7The righteous man walks in his integrity;
His children are blessed after him.

Pro 20:8

Pro 20:8A king who sits on the throne of judgment
Scatters all evil with his eyes.

Pro 20:9

Pro 20:9Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?

Pro 20:10

Pro 20:10Diverse weights and diverse measures,
They are both alike, an abomination to the LORD.

Pro 20:11

Pro 20:11Even a child is known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.

Pro 20:12

Pro 20:12The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The LORD has made them both.

Pro 20:13

Pro 20:13Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.

Pro 20:14

Pro 20:14“It is good for nothing,”[fn] cries the buyer;
But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

Pro 20:15

Pro 20:15There is gold and a multitude of rubies,
But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Pro 20:16

Pro 20:16Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

Pro 20:17

Pro 20:17Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Pro 20:18

Pro 20:18Plans are established by counsel;
By wise counsel wage war.

Pro 20:19

Pro 20:19He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

Pro 20:20

Pro 20:20Whoever curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

Pro 20:21

Pro 20:21An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning
Will not be blessed at the end.

Pro 20:22

Pro 20:22Do not say, “I will recompense evil”;
Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Pro 20:23

Pro 20:23Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD,
And dishonest scales are not good.

Pro 20:24

Pro 20:24A man’s steps are of the LORD;
How then can a man understand his own way?

Pro 20:25

Pro 20:25It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,
And afterward to reconsider his vows.

Pro 20:26

Pro 20:26A wise king sifts out the wicked,
And brings the threshing wheel over them.

Pro 20:27

Pro 20:27The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.[fn]

Pro 20:28

Pro 20:28Mercy and truth preserve the king,
And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

Pro 20:29

Pro 20:29The glory of young men is their strength,
And the splendor of old men is their gray head.

Pro 20:30

Pro 20:30Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.[fn]

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(20:2)

Literally fear or terror which is produced by the king’s wrath

(20:14)

Literally evil, evil

(20:27)

Literally the rooms of the belly

(20:30)

Literally the rooms of the belly

The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) appearing on or deriving from this or any other web page is for personal use only. Any other use of the NKJV must be in conformity with the Quotation Policy for the New King James Version. For more information about the New King James Version, the Quotation Policy, and for inquiries about permission to use the New King James Version, go to Thomas Nelson, Inc..

For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.

Proverbs Chapter 20 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Proverbs 20 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

NKJV Footnotes

Proverbs Chapter 20 — Additional Translations:

Did You Know BLB Is User Supported?