Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
Be not thou envious of wicked men, neither crave to be with them;
2 for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
For, violence, their heart muttereth, and, mischief, their lips do speak.
3 By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
In wisdom, is a house builded, and, in understanding, is it established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
And, in knowledge, chambers are filled, with all acquisitions, costly and fair.
5 A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
A wise man, is mighty, and, a man of knowledge, becometh alert in vigour.
6 Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
Surely, with concerted measures, shalt thou make for thyself war, and, success, lieth in the greatness of the counsellor.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
Unattainable to a foolish man, are the dictates of wisdom, in the gate, he openeth not his mouth.
8 He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
He that deviseth to do mischief, him, shall men call, a master of plots.
9 A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
The purpose of folly, is sin, and, an abomination to mankind, is a buffoon.
10 If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
Thou hast been slothful in the day of straitness, Strait, is thy strength.
11 Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
Deliver thou such as are being led forth to death, and, them who are tottering to slaughter, oh that thou wouldst hold back!
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
Though thou say, Lo! we knew not this, Shall not, he that proveth hearts, himself, discern? And, he that formeth thy soul, himself, know? and bring back to a son of earth according to his deed?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
My son, eat thou honey, because it is good, —and droppings from the comb [because they are] sweet to thy palate:
14 Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.
Thus, take knowledge of wisdom, for thine own soul; If thou find it, then there is a future, and, thine expectation, shall not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.
Do not lie in wait, thou lawless man, against the home of the righteous, —neither destroy thou his place of rest;
16 For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
For, seven times, may the righteous fall and yet arise, but, lawless men, shall stumble into calamity.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
When thine enemy falleth, do not thou rejoice, and, when he stumbleth, let not thy heart exult:
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
Lest Yahweh see it, and it be wicked in his eyes, and he turn away from him his anger.
19 Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
Burn not with vexation against evil doers, be not envious of lawless men;
20 For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
For there shall be no future for the wicked, The lamp of the lawless, shall go out.
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
Revere thou Yahweh, my son, and the king, and, with the fickle, have thou no fellowship;
22 For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
For, suddenly, shall arise their calamity; and, the misfortune of their years, who knoweth?
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
These things also, concern the wise, To take note of faces in judgment, is not good.
24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
He that saith to the lawless man, Righteous, thou art, peoples shall denounce him, populations shall curse him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
But, to reprovers, one should be pleasant, and, upon them, should come an excellent blessing:
26 An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
Lips, should one kiss with one who answereth in right words.
27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
Prepare, in the open, thy work, and make ready, in the field, for thyself, Afterwards, shalt thou build thy house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
Do not become a needless witness against thy neighbour, so mightest thou open too wide thy lips:
29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
Do not say—According to what he hath done to me, so, will I do to him, I will repay every one according to his work.
30 I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
By the field of the sluggard, I passed, and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense;
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
And lo! there had come up all over it—thorns, there had covered the face thereof—thistles, and, the stone fence thereof, had been thrown down.
32 I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
So I observed it, for myself, I applied my heart, I looked—I accepted correction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest:
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
