Proverbs 24
1 Be thou not envious of bad men, and do not long to be with them.
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 For their heart meditateth destruction, and of mischief do their lips speak.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Through wisdom is a house built; and through understanding is it firmly established;
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 And through knowledge are chambers filled with all manner of precious and pleasant wealth.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 A wise man is [always] in power; and a man of knowledge fortifieth [his] strength.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 For by wise counsel canst thou conduct thy war; and there is help in a multitude of counsellors.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: in the gate can he not open his mouth.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Him that deviseth to do evil, men call a master of wicked devices.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 The counsel of folly is sin; and an abomination to men is the scorner.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 If thou despond on the day of distress, thy strength is small.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Deliver those that are taken unto death, and those that are moved away to the slaughter hold back.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 If thou shouldst say, Behold, we know not this man: lo, he that weigheth hearts will truly regard it, and he that keepeth thy soul will surely know it; and he will give a recompense to man according to his doing.
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 Eat honey, my son, because it is good; and the fine honey, which is sweet to thy palate:
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 So obtain the knowledge of wisdom for thy soul: when thou hast found her, then shall there be a [happy] future, and thy 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 Lie not in wait, O wicked man! against the dwelling of the righteous; waste 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 though the righteous were to fall seven times, he will rise up again; but the wicked shall stumble into misfortune.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 At the fall of thy enemy do not rejoice; and at his stumbling let not thy heart be glad:
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 Lest the Lord see it and it be displeasing in his eyes, and he turn away from him his wrath.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious of the wicked;
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 For there will be no [happy] future for the bad man: the lamp of the wicked will be quenched.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 My son, fear the Lord and the king: with those that are desirous to change do not mingle thyself;
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 For suddenly will their calamity arise; and who knoweth the ruin of both of them!
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 These things also are for the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Him that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, will the people denounce, him will nations hold accursed;
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 But to those that punish delight shall be given, and upon them shall come the blessing of the good.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Men will kiss the lips of him that giveth a proper answer.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare without thy work, and make it fit in the field for thyself: and afterward build thy 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 without cause a witness against thy neighbor; for wouldst thou beguile with thy lips?
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Say not, As he hath done to me so will I do to him: I will recompense every man according to his doing.
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 By the field of a slothful man I once passed along, and by the vineyard of a man void of sense:
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, nettles had covered its surface, and its stone-wall was broken down.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 And when I had indeed beheld [this] I took it to my heart: I saw it, and received a warning.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 “A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 But then will thy poverty come like a rover; and thy wants as a man armed with a shield.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
