Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou enuious against euill men, neither desire to be with them.
Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
2 For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lippes speake mischiefe.
For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
3 Through wisdome is an house builded, and with vnderstanding it is established.
A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers bee filled with all precious, and pleasant riches.
And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise man is strong: for a man of vnderstanding encreaseth his strength.
The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6 For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy warre, and in the multitude of them that can giue counsell, is health.
For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdome is hie to a foole: therefore he can not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 Hee that imagineth to doe euill, men shall call him an autour of wickednes.
Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
9 The wicked thought of a foole is sinne, and the scorner is an abomination vnto men.
The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
10 If thou bee faint in the day of aduersitie, thy strength is small.
You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
11 Deliuer them that are drawen to death: wilt thou not preserue them that are led to be slaine?
If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to 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?
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 sonne, eate hony, for it is good, and the hony combe, for it is sweete vnto thy mouth.
My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
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.
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 Laye no waite, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoyle not his resting place.
Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
16 For a iust man falleth seuen times, and riseth againe: but the wicked fall into mischiefe.
For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 Bee thou not glad when thine enemie falleth, and let not thine heart reioyce when hee stumbleth,
Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
18 Least the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turne his wrath from him.
Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
19 Fret not thy selfe because of the malicious, neither be enuious at the wicked.
Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at 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 there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21 My sonne feare the Lord, and the King, and meddle not with them that are sedicious.
Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both?
For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
23 ALSO THESE THINGS PERTEINE TO THE WISE, It is not good to haue respect of any person in iudgement.
These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
24 He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhorre him.
Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
25 But to them that rebuke him, shall be pleasure, and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse.
And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
26 They shall kisse the lippes of him that answereth vpright wordes.
He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
27 Prepare thy worke without, and make readie thy thinges in the fielde, and after, builde thine house.
Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
28 Be not a witnes against thy neighbour without cause: for wilt thou deceiue with thy lippes?
Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed 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, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
30 I passed by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the man destitute of vnderstanding.
I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
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.
And behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
32 Then I behelde, and I considered it well: I looked vpon it, and receiued instruction.
And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have 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 lie down.
34 So thy pouertie commeth as one that traueileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
