Proverbs 24
1 Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them:
Be not thou envious of wicked men, And desire not to be with them!
2 For the purposes of their hearts are destruction, and their lips are talking of trouble.
For their heart studieth destruction, And their lips speak mischief.
3 The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:
Through wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding is it established;
4 And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.
Yea, by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and goodly substance.
5 A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater.
The wise man is strong; Yea, the man of understanding establisheth his strength.
6 For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.
For by wise counsel shalt thou make war, And by the multitude of counsellors cometh success.
7 Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.
Wisdom is too high for the fool; He openeth not his mouth at the gate.
8 He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs.
He that deviseth to do evil Shall be called mischief-master.
9 The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.
The purpose of folly is sin; And a scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small.
If thy spirit faint in the day of adversity, Faint will be thy strength.
11 Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction.
Deliver thou those who are dragged to death, And those who totter to the slaughter, —O keep them back!
12 If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?
If thou sayst, “Behold, we knew it not!” Doth not he that weigheth the heart observe it? Yea, he that keepeth thy soul knoweth it. And he will render to every man according to his works.
13 My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, And the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;
14 So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
So learn thou wisdom for thy soul! When thou hast found it, there shall be a reward, And thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Do not keep a secret watch, O evil-doer, against the fields of the upright man, or send destruction on his resting-place:
Plot not, O wicked man! against the habitation of the righteous; Spoil not his resting-place!
16 For an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again: but trouble is the downfall of the evil.
For though the righteous fall seven times, yet shall he rise up again; But the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18 For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.
Lest the LORD see, and it displease him, And he turn away his anger from him.
19 Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners:
Fret not thyself on account of evil men, Neither be thou envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.
For there shall be no posterity to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king; And mingle not with them that are given to change!
22 For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?
For their calamity shall rise up suddenly, And their ruin, coming from them both, in a moment.
23 These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.
These also are words of the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.
He that saith to the wicked, “Thou art righteous,” Him shall the people curse; Nations shall abhor him.
25 But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.
But it shall be well with them that punish him, And the blessing of prosperity shall come upon them.
26 He gives a kiss with his lips who gives a right answer.
He that giveth a right answer Kisseth the lips.
27 Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.
Arrange thy work without, And prepare it in thy field: Afterwards thou mayst build thy house.
28 Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.
Be not a witness without cause against thy neighbor, And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Say not, I will do to him as he has done to me; I will give the man the reward of his work.
Say not, “As he hath done to me, So will I do to him; I will render to the man according to his doings.”
30 I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;
I passed by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding,
31 And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.
And, lo! it was all overgrown with thorns, And the face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.
Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it. and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:
“A little sleep, a little slumber! A little folding of the hands to rest!”
34 So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.
So shall poverty come upon thee like a highwayman; Yea, want like an armed man.
