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20:1  A rebuke on occasion can be untimely, and a man may show wisdom by keeping silent.
20:2  But how much better it is to rebuke than to fume,
20:3  for the one who admits his faults will be preserved from disgrace.
20:4  Like a eunuch lusting to ravage a maiden is the person who does what is right out of obligation.
20:5  One man is silent and considered to be wise, while another incurs hatred for talking too much.
20:6  One man keeps silent because he has nothing to say, while another keeps quiet because he knows when to speak.
20:7  A wise man remains silent until the right moment, but a boasting fool never seems aware of the proper time.
20:8  The one who talks too much is detested, and the one who pretends to be an authority is hated. [How good it is to show repentance when you are rebuked, for you will thereby avoid deliberate sin.]
20:9  There is the man who finds good fortune in adversity, and the good fortune that may result in a loss.
20:10  There is the gift that profits you nothing, and the gift that must be paid back double.
20:11  The search for glory may lead one man to humiliation, while another man may rise from humble circumstances to a position of eminence.
20:12  A man may buy much for little but pay for it seven times over.
20:13  A wise man can become beloved by means of his words, but the courtesies of fools are futile.
20:14  The gift of a fool will profit you nothing, [neither will that of a miser who gives solely out of obligation] for he covets to receive more than he gave.
20:15  He gives little and criticizes much, opening his mouth like a town crier. He lends today and demands payment tomorrow; such a man is detestable.
20:16  The fool will say, “I have no friends, and I get no thanks for my good deeds;
20:17  those who eat my bread have malicious tongues.” He will be laughed at frequently by many. [For he did not receive honestly what he possesses, and what he lacks is not important to him.]
20:18  A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; the downfall of the wicked will come just as quickly.
20:19  A coarse person is like an indiscreet story that is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
20:20  A proverb is rejected when it comes from the lips of a fool since he does not utter it at the proper time.
20:21  Poverty may prevent one from sinning; so when he takes his rest, his conscience does not disturb him.
20:22  One may lose his life through false shame or perish from fear of the opinion of a fool. [For the latter has a foolish look.]
20:23  Another, out of shame, makes promises to a friend and needlessly turns that friend into an enemy.
20:24  A lie is an ugly blot on anyone and is ever on the lips of the ignorant.
20:25  A thief is preferable to a habitual liar, yet both will suffer disaster.
20:26  The path of a liar leads to disgrace; his shame lasts forever.
20:27  A wise man advances himself by his words; a prudent man is pleasing to the great.
20:28  He who tills his soil has an abundant harvest; he who pleases the great will secure pardon for offenses.
20:29  Favors and gifts blind the eyes of the wise; like a muzzle over the mouth they silence criticism.
20:30  Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure— of what value is either?
20:31  Better is the man who hides his folly than one who conceals his wisdom.
20:32  [ It is better to serve the Lord while awaiting the inevitable than to be an ignorant helmsman of one’s own life.]