Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou enuious against euill men, neither desire to be with them.
Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
2 For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lippes speake mischiefe.
for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
3 Through wisdome is an house builded, and with vnderstanding it is established.
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers bee filled with all precious, and pleasant riches.
through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wise man is strong: for a man of vnderstanding encreaseth his strength.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy warre, and in the multitude of them that can giue counsell, is health.
Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdome is hie to a foole: therefore he can 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 Hee that imagineth to doe euill, men shall call him an autour of wickednes.
He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 The wicked thought of a foole is sinne, and the scorner is an abomination vnto men.
A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
10 If thou bee faint in the day of aduersitie, thy strength is small.
If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
11 Deliuer them that are drawen to death: wilt thou not preserue them that are led to be slaine?
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 If thou say, Beholde, we knew not of it: he that pondereth the heartes, doeth not hee vnderstand it? and hee that keepeth thy soule, knoweth he it not? will not he also recompense euery man according to his workes?
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 My sonne, eate hony, for it is good, and the hony combe, for it is sweete vnto thy mouth.
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdome be vnto thy soule, if thou finde it, and there shall be an ende, and thine hope 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 Laye no waite, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoyle not 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 a iust man falleth seuen times, and riseth againe: but the wicked fall into mischiefe.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
17 Bee thou not glad when thine enemie falleth, and let not thine heart reioyce when hee stumbleth,
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 Least the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turne his wrath from him.
or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Fret not thy selfe because of the malicious, neither be enuious at the wicked.
Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 For there shall bee none ende of plagues to the euill man: the light of the wicked shall bee put out.
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My sonne feare the Lord, and the King, and meddle not with them that are sedicious.
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both?
For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
23 ALSO THESE THINGS PERTEINE TO THE WISE, It is not good to haue respect of any person in iudgement.
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhorre 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 pleasure, and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 They shall kisse the lippes of him that answereth vpright wordes.
An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare thy worke without, and make readie thy thinges in the fielde, and after, builde thine house.
Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
28 Be not a witnes against thy neighbour without cause: for wilt thou deceiue with thy lippes?
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Say not, I wil doe to him, as he hath done to mee, I will recompence euery man according to his worke.
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 passed by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the man destitute of vnderstanding.
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 And lo, it was al growen ouer with thornes, and nettles had couered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken downe.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I behelde, and I considered it well: I looked vpon it, and receiued instruction.
I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
33 Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the handes to sleepe.
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 So thy pouertie commeth as one that traueileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
