Proverbs 24
1 Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
2 for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
3 A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
4 Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6 for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
9 Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
10 If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
11 Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
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, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
14 In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
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 Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
16 Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
18 otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
19 Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
20 for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21 My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
22 for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
23 These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
24 Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
25 while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
26 An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
27 Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building 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 Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your lips.
29 Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
30 I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
31 It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen 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 As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have received instruction,
33 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
A little sleep—a little slumber—A little folding of the hands to lie down.
34 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
