Daily Bread

¹⁸ Plans are established by seeking advice;
    so if you wage war, obtain guidance.^(A)

¹⁹ A gossip betrays a confidence;^(B)
    so avoid anyone who talks too much.

²⁰ If someone curses their father or mother,^(C)
    their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.^(D)

²¹ An inheritance claimed too soon
    will not be blessed at the end.

²² Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”^(E)
    Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.^(F)

²³ The Lord detests differing weights,
    and dishonest scales do not please him.^(G)

²⁴ A person’s steps are directed^(H) by the Lord.^(I)
    How then can anyone understand their own way?^(J)

²⁵ It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
    and only later to consider one’s vows.^(K)

²⁶ A wise king winnows out the wicked;
    he drives the threshing wheel over them.^(L)

²⁷ The human spirit is^[a] the lamp of the Lord^(M)
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being.^(N)

²⁸ Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love^(O) his throne is made secure.^(P)

²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
    gray hair the splendor of the old.^(Q)

³⁰ Blows and wounds scrub^(R) away evil,
    and beatings^(S) purge the inmost being.