Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
Ne æmuleris viros malos, nec desideres esse cum eis:
2 for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
quia rapinas meditatur mens eorum, et fraudes labia eorum loquuntur.
3 By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
Sapientia ædificabitur domus, et prudentia roborabitur.
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
In doctrina replebuntur cellaria, universa substantia pretiosa et pulcherrima.
5 A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
Vir sapiens, fortis est: et vir doctus, robustus et validus.
6 Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
Quia cum dispositione initur bellum: et erit salus ubi multa consilia sunt.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
Excelsa stulto sapientia, in porta non aperiet os suum.
8 He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
Qui cogitat mala facere, stultus vocabitur.
9 A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
Cogitatio stulti peccatum est: et abominatio hominum detractor.
10 If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
Si desperaveris lassus in die angustiæ: imminuetur fortitudo tua.
11 Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
Erue eos, qui ducuntur ad mortem: et qui trahuntur ad interitum liberare ne cesses.
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?
Si dixeris: Vires non suppetunt: qui inspector est cordis, ipse intelligit, et servatorem animæ tuæ nihil fallit, reddetque homini iuxta opera sua.
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
Comede, fili mi, mel, quia bonum est, et favum dulcissimum gutturi tuo:
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.
Sic et doctrina sapientiæ animæ tuæ: quam cum inveneris, habebis in novissimis spem, et spes tua non peribit.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.
Ne insidieris, et quæras impietatem in domo iusti, neque vastes requiem eius.
16 For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
Septies enim cadet iustus, et resurget: impii autem corruent in malum.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
Cum ceciderit inimicus tuus, ne gaudeas, et in ruina eius ne exultet cor tuum:
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
ne forte videat Dominus, et displiceat ei, et auferat ab eo iram suam.
19 Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
Ne contendas cum pessimis, nec æmuleris impios:
20 For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
quoniam non habent futurorum spem mali, et lucerna impiorum extinguetur.
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
Time Dominum, fili mi, et regem: et cum detractoribus non commiscearis:
22 For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
quoniam repente consurget perditio eorum: et ruinam utriusque quis novit?
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Hæc quoque sapientibus: Cognoscere personam in iudicio non est bonum.
24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
Qui dicunt impio: Iustus es: maledicent eis populi, et detestabuntur eos tribus.
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
Qui arguunt eum, laudabuntur: et super ipsos veniet benedictio.
26 An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
Labia deosculabitur, qui recta verba respondet.
27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
Præpara foris opus tuum, et diligenter exerce agrum tuum: ut postea ædifices domum tuam.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
Ne sis testis frustra contra proximum tuum: nec lactes quemquam labiis tuis.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
Ne dicas: Quomodo fecit mihi, sic faciam ei: reddam unicuique secundum opus suum.
30 I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
Per agrum hominis pigri transivi, et per vineam viri stulti:
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
et ecce totum repleverant urticæ, et operuerant superficiem eius spinæ, et maceria lapidum destructa erat.
32 I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
Quod cum vidissem, posui in corde meo, et exemplo didici disciplinam.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
Parum, inquam, dormies, modicum dormitabis, pauxillum manus conseres, ut quiescas:
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
et veniet tibi quasi cursor egestas, et mendicitas quasi vir armatus.
