Proverbs 24
1 [My] son, envy not bad men, nor desire to be with them.
Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;
2 For their heart meditates falsehoods, and their lips speak mischiefs.
for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3 A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding.
Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;
4 By discretion the chambers are filled with all precious and excellent wealth.
and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.
5 A wise man is better than a strong man; and a man who has prudence than a large estate.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6 War is carried on with generalship, and aid is supplied to the heart of a counsellor.
For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom and good understanding are in the gates of the wise: the wise turn not aside from the mouth of the Lord,
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.
8 but deliberate in council. Death befalls uninstructed [men].
He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.
9 The fools also dies in sins; and uncleanness [attaches] to a pestilent man.
The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.
10 He shall be defiled in the evil day, and in the day of affliction, until he be utterly consumed.
[If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.
11 Deliver them that are led away to death, and redeem them that are appointed to be slain; spare not [your help].
Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.
12 But if you should 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 thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.
13 [My] son, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good, that your throat may be sweetened.
Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:
14 Thus shall you perceive wisdom in your soul: for if you find it, your end shall be good, and hope shall not fail you.
so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Bring not an ungodly man into the dwelling of the righteous: neither be deceived by the feeding of the belly.
Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.
16 For a righteous man will fall seven times, and rise [again]: but the ungodly shall be without strength in troubles.
For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.
17 If your enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow.
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18 For the Lord will see [it], and it will not please him, and he will turn away his wrath from him.
lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.
19 Rejoice not in evil-doers, neither be envious of sinners.
Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:
20 For the evil man shall have no posterity: and the light of the wicked shall be put out.
for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 [My] son, fear God and the king; and do not disobey either of them.
My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.
22 For they will suddenly punish the ungodly, and who can know the vengeance [inflicted] by both?
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
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 judgement.
These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 He that says of the ungodly, He is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hateful amongst the nations.
He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 But they that reprove [him] shall appear more excellent, and blessing shall come upon them;
but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.
26 and [men] will kiss lips that answer well.
He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare your works for [your] going forth, and prepare yourself for the field; and come after me, and you shall rebuild your house.
Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.
28 Be not a false witness against your [fellow] citizen, neither exaggerate with your lips.
Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
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.
Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.
30 A foolish man is like a farm, and a senseless man is like a vineyard.
I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
31 If you let him alone, he will altogether remain barren and covered with weeds; and he becomes destitute, and his stone walls are broken down.
and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction.
Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:
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.
— A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
34 But if you do this, your poverty will come speedily; and your lack like a swift courier.
So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
