Proverbs 24

1 [My] son, envy not bad men, nor desire to be with them.

Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,

2 For their heart meditates falsehoods, and their lips speak mischiefs.

because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).

3 A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding.

People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.

4 By discretion the chambers are filled with all precious and excellent wealth.

By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.

5 A wise man is better than a strong man; and a man who has prudence than a large estate.

Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.

6 War is carried on with generalship, and aid is supplied to the heart of a counsellor.

Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.

7 Wisdom and good understanding are in the gates of the wise: the wise turn not aside from the mouth of the Lord,

Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].

8 but deliberate in council. Death befalls uninstructed [men].

Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.

9 The fools also dies in sins; and uncleanness [attaches] to a pestilent man.

It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].

10 He shall be defiled in the evil day, and in the day of affliction, until he be utterly consumed.

If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.

11 Deliver them that are led away to death, and redeem them that are appointed to be slain; spare not [thy help].

[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].

12 But if thou shouldest say, I know not this man; know that the Lord knows the hearts of all; and he that formed breath for all, he knows all things, who renders to every man according to his works.

If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.

13 [My] son, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good, that thy throat may be sweetened.

My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.

14 Thus shalt thou perceive wisdom in thy soul: for if thou find it, thine end shall be good, and hope shall not fail thee.

Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].

15 Bring not an ungodly man into the dwelling of the righteous: neither be deceived by the feeding of the belly.

Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.

16 For a righteous man will fall seven times, and rise [again]: but the ungodly shall be without strength in troubles.

[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.

17 If thine enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow.

Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,

18 For the Lord will see [it], and it will not please him, and he will turn away his wrath from him.

because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.

19 Rejoice not in evil-doers, neither be envious of sinners.

Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,

20 For the evil man shall have no posterity: and the light of the wicked shall be put out.

because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].

21 [My] son, fear God and the king; and do not disobey either of them.

My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,

22 For they will suddenly punish the ungodly, and who can know the vengeance [inflicted] by both?

because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.

23 And this thing I say to you that are wise [for you] to learn: It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].

24 He that says of the ungodly, He is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hateful among the nations.

If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,

25 But they that reprove [him] shall appear more excellent, and blessing shall come upon them;

but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).

26 and [men] will kiss lips that answer well.

Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].

27 Prepare thy works for [thy] going forth, and prepare thyself for the field; and come after me, and thou shalt rebuild thine house.

First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.

28 Be not a false witness against thy [fellow] citizen, neither exaggerate with thy lips.

[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].

29 Say not, As he has treated me, so will I treat him, and I will avenge myself on him for that wherein he has injured me.

Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”

30 A foolish man is like a farm, and a senseless man is like a vineyard.

One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.

31 If thou let him alone, he will altogether remain barren and covered with weeds; and he becomes destitute, and his stone walls are broken down.

I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).

32 Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction.

When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:

33 [The sluggard says, ]I slumber a little, and I sleep a little, and for a little while I fold my arms across [my] breast.

[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,

34 But if thou do this, thy poverty will come speedily; and thy want like a swift courier.

[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].