Proverbs 24
1 Seek not to be like evil men, neither desire to be with them:
Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.
2 Because their mind studieth robberies, and their lips speak deceits.
For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.
3 By wisdom the house shall be built, and by prudence it shall be strengthened.
By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.
4 By instruction the storerooms shall be filled with all precious and most beautiful wealth.
And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise man is strong: and a knowing man, stout and valiant.
Mighty [is] the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6 Because war is managed by due ordering: and there shall be safety where there are many counsels.
For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counsellors.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool, in the gate he shall not open his mouth.
Wisdom [is] high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.
8 He that deviseth to do evils, shall be called a fool.
Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts.
9 The thought of a fool is sin: and the detracter is the abomination of men.
The thought of folly [is] sin, And an abomination to man [is] a scorner.
10 If thou lose hope being weary in the day of distress, thy strength shall be diminished.
Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,
11 Deliver them that are led to death: and those that are drawn to death forbear not to deliver.
If [from] delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter — thou keepest back.
12 If thou say: I have not strength enough: he that seeth into the heart, he understandeth, and nothing deceiveth the keeper of thy soul, and he shall render to a 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 Fat honey, my son, because it is good, and the honeycomb most sweet to thy throat:
Eat my son, honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb — sweet to thy palate.
14 So also is the doctrine of wisdom to thy soul: which when thou hast found, thou shalt have hope in the end, and thy hope shall not perish.
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 Lie not in wait, nor seek after wickedness in the house of the just, nor spoil his rest.
Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting-place.
16 For a just mall shall fall seven times and shall rise again: but the wicked shall fall down into evil.
For seven [times] doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad, and in his ruin let not thy heart rejoice:
In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,
18 Lest the Lord see, and it displease him, and he 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 Contend not with the wicked, nor seek to be like the ungodly:
Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked,
20 For evil men have no hope of things to come, and the lamp 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 the Lord and the king: and have nothing to do with detracters.
Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly: and who knoweth the ruin of both?
For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both — who knoweth!
23 These things also to the wise: It is not good to have respect to persons in judgment.
These also are for the wise: — To discern faces in judgment is not good.
24 They that say to the wicked man: Thou art just: shall be cursed by the people, and the tribes shall abhor them.
Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou [art] righteous,' Peoples execrate him — nations abhor him.
25 They that rebuke him, shall be praised: and a blessing shall come upon them.
And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.
26 He shall kiss the lips, who answereth right words.
Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.
27 Prepare thy work without, and diligently till thy ground: that afterward thou mayst build thy 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 witness without cause against thy neighbour: and deceive not any man with thy lips.
Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.
29 Say not: I will do to him as he hath done to me: I will render to every one according to his work.
Say not, 'As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'
30 I passed by the field of the slothful man, and by the vineyard of the foolish man:
Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
31 And behold it was all filled with nettles, and thorns had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was 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 Which when I had seen, I laid it up in my heart, and by the example I received instruction.
And I see — I — I do set my heart, I have seen — I have received instruction,
33 Thou wilt sleep a little, said I, thou wilt slumber a little, thou wilt fold thy hands a little to rest:
A little sleep — a little slumber — A little folding of the hands to lie down.
34 And poverty shall come to thee as a runner, and beggary as an armed man.
And thy poverty hath come [as] a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!
