Proverbs 24
1 [My] son, envy not bad men, nor desire to be with them.
Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
2 For their heart meditates falsehoods, and their lips speak mischiefs.
For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
3 A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding.
A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
4 By discretion the chambers are filled with all precious and excellent wealth.
And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise man is better than a strong man; and a man who has prudence than a large estate.
The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6 War is carried on with generalship, and aid is supplied to the heart of a counsellor.
For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
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] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 but deliberate in council. Death befalls uninstructed [men].
Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
9 The fools also dies in sins; and uncleanness [attaches] to a pestilent man.
The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
10 He shall be defiled in the evil day, and in the day of affliction, until he be utterly consumed.
You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
11 Deliver them that are led away to death, and redeem them that are appointed to be slain; spare not [your help].
If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the 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.
When you say, “Behold, we did not know this.” Is the Ponderer of hearts not He who understands? And the Keeper of your soul He who knows? And He has rendered to man according to his work.
13 [My] son, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good, that your throat may be sweetened.
My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
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 [is] the knowledge of wisdom to your soul, If you have found that there is a posterity And your hope is not cut off.
15 Bring not an ungodly man into the dwelling of the righteous: neither be deceived by the feeding of the belly.
Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil 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 fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 If your enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow.
Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
18 For the Lord will see [it], and it will not please him, and he will turn away his wrath from him.
Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
19 Rejoice not in evil-doers, neither be envious of sinners.
Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
20 For the evil man shall have no posterity: and the light of the wicked shall be put out.
For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21 [My] son, fear God and the king; and do not disobey either of them.
Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
22 For they will suddenly punish the ungodly, and who can know the vengeance [inflicted] by both?
For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
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 are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
24 He that says of the ungodly, He is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hateful amongst the nations.
Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
25 But they that reprove [him] shall appear more excellent, and blessing shall come upon them;
And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
26 and [men] will kiss lips that answer well.
He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
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 your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
28 Be not a false witness against your [fellow] citizen, neither exaggerate with your lips.
Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your 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.
Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
30 A foolish man is like a farm, and a senseless man is like a vineyard.
I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
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 behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
32 Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction.
And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have 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 lie down.
34 But if you do this, your poverty will come speedily; and your lack like a swift courier.
And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
