Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be 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; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors [there is] safety.
Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdom [is] too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 The thought of foolishness [is] sin: and the scorner [is] an abomination to men.
A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
10 [If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.
If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
11 If thou forbear to deliver [them that are] drawn unto death, and [those that are] ready to be slain;
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider [it]? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth [not] he know [it]? and shall [not] he render to [every] man according to his works?
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 son, eat thou honey, because [it is] good; and the honeycomb, [which is] sweet to thy taste:
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom [be] unto thy soul: when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation 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 Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil 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 just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 Lest the LORD see [it], and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;
Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil [man; ] the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: [and] meddle not with them that are given to change:
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
23 These [things] also [belong] to the wise. [It is] not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou [art] righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor 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 delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 [Every man] shall kiss [his] lips that giveth a right answer.
An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive [not] with thy lips.
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
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 went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, [and] nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw, [and] considered [it] well: I looked upon [it, and] received instruction.
I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
33 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
