Proverbs 24
1 Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them:
Be not envious of evil 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 destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.
3 The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:
By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.
4 And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.
And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater.
Mighty [is] the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6 For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.
For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counsellors.
7 Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.
Wisdom [is] high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.
8 He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs.
Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts.
9 The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.
The thought of folly [is] sin, And an abomination to man [is] a scorner.
10 If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small.
Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,
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.
If [from] delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter — thou keepest 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?
When thou sayest, 'Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.
13 My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:
Eat my son, honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb — sweet to thy palate.
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 [is] the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not 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:
Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil 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 seven [times] doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:
In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,
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 Jehovah see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.
19 Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners:
Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked,
20 For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.
For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21 My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:
Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,
22 For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?
For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both — who knoweth!
23 These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.
These also are for the wise: — To discern faces in judgment is not good.
24 He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.
Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou [art] righteous,' Peoples execrate him — nations abhor him.
25 But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.
And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.
26 He gives a kiss with his lips who gives a right answer.
Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.
27 Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.
Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field — go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.
28 Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.
Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed 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 did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'
30 I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;
Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
31 And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.
And lo, it hath gone up — all of it — thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down.
32 Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.
And I see — I — I do set my heart, I have seen — I have 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 lie down.
34 So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.
And thy poverty hath come [as] a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!
