Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;
Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
2 for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
3 Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
4 and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.
through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.
He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.
A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
10 [If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.
If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
11 Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 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.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.
16 For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.
or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:
Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
23 These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
25 but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.
An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.
Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:
I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
33 — A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
