Amplified Bible

Proverbs 20:23-30 Amplified Bible (AMP)

23. Diverse and deceitful weights are shamefully vile and abhorrent to the Lord, and false scales are not good.

24. Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way?

25. It is a snare to a man to utter a vow [of consecration] rashly and [not until] afterward inquire [whether he can fulfill it].

26. A wise king winnows out the wicked [from among the good] and brings the threshing wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].

27. The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. [I Cor. 2:11.]

28. Loving-kindness and mercy, truth and faithfulness, preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by [the people's] loyalty.

29. The glory of young men is their strength, and the beauty of old men is their gray head [suggesting wisdom and experience].

30. Blows that wound cleanse away evil, and strokes [for correction] reach to the innermost parts.