Proverbs 24
1 [My] son, envy not bad men, nor desire to be with them.
Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.
2 For their heart meditates falsehoods, and their lips speak mischiefs.
For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.
3 A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding.
By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.
4 By discretion the chambers are filled with all precious and excellent wealth.
And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, [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.
Mighty [is] the wise 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 by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counsellors.
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, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.
8 but deliberate in council. Death befalls uninstructed [men].
Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call 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 an abomination to man [is] a scorner.
10 He shall be defiled in the evil day, and in the day of affliction, until he be utterly consumed.
Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,
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 those slipping to the slaughter — thou keepest back.
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 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, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good, that your throat may be sweetened.
Eat my son, honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb — sweet to thy 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 thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy 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.
Lay not 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 seven [times] doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 If your enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow.
In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,
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, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.
19 Rejoice not in evil-doers, neither be envious of sinners.
Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not 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 Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,
22 For they will suddenly punish the ungodly, and who can know the vengeance [inflicted] by both?
For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both — who knoweth!
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 also are for the wise: — To discern faces in judgment is not good.
24 He that says of the ungodly, He is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hateful amongst the nations.
Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou [art] righteous,' Peoples execrate him — nations abhor him.
25 But they that reprove [him] shall appear more excellent, and blessing shall come upon them;
And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.
26 and [men] will kiss lips that answer well.
Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.
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 in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field — go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.
28 Be not a false witness against your [fellow] citizen, neither exaggerate with your lips.
Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed 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, '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.
Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, 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 lo, it hath gone up — all of it — thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down.
32 Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction.
And I see — I — I do 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 thy poverty hath come [as] a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!
