Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou enuious against euill men, neither desire to be with them.
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lippes speake mischiefe.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Through wisdome is an house builded, and with vnderstanding it is established.
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers bee filled with all precious, and pleasant riches.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 A wise man is strong: for a man of vnderstanding encreaseth his strength.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy warre, and in the multitude of them that can giue counsell, is health.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Wisdome is hie to a foole: therefore he can not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Hee that imagineth to doe euill, men shall call him an autour of wickednes.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 The wicked thought of a foole is sinne, and the scorner is an abomination vnto men.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 If thou bee faint in the day of aduersitie, thy strength is small.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Deliuer them that are drawen to death: wilt thou not preserue them that are led to be slaine?
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
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, “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.
13 My sonne, eate hony, for it is good, and the hony combe, for it is sweete vnto thy mouth.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
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.
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.
15 Laye no waite, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoyle not his resting place.
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 For a iust man falleth seuen times, and riseth againe: but the wicked fall into mischiefe.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Bee thou not glad when thine enemie falleth, and let not thine heart reioyce when hee stumbleth,
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 Least the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turne his wrath from him.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Fret not thy selfe because of the malicious, neither be enuious at the wicked.
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 For there shall bee none ende of plagues to the euill man: the light of the wicked shall bee put out.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 My sonne feare the Lord, and the King, and meddle not with them that are sedicious.
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 ALSO THESE THINGS PERTEINE TO THE WISE, It is not good to haue respect of any person in iudgement.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhorre him.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 But to them that rebuke him, shall be pleasure, and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 They shall kisse the lippes of him that answereth vpright wordes.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare thy worke without, and make readie thy thinges in the fielde, and after, builde thine house.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Be not a witnes against thy neighbour without cause: for wilt thou deceiue with thy lippes?
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Say not, I wil doe to him, as he hath done to mee, I will recompence euery man according to his worke.
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!”
30 I passed by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the man destitute of vnderstanding.
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
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.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Then I behelde, and I considered it well: I looked vpon it, and receiued instruction.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the handes to sleepe.
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 So thy pouertie commeth as one that traueileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
