Proverbs 24
1 Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
Be not thou envious of wicked men, And desire not to be with them!
2 For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
For their heart studieth destruction, And their lips speak mischief.
3 A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
Through wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding is it established;
4 And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
Yea, by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and goodly substance.
5 The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
The wise man is strong; Yea, the man of understanding establisheth his strength.
6 For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
For by wise counsel shalt thou make war, And by the multitude of counsellors cometh success.
7 Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is too high for the fool; He openeth not his mouth at the gate.
8 Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
He that deviseth to do evil Shall be called mischief-master.
9 The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
The purpose of folly is sin; And a scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
If thy spirit faint in the day of adversity, Faint will be thy strength.
11 If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
Deliver thou those who are dragged to death, And those who totter to the slaughter, —O keep them back!
12 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.
If thou sayst, “Behold, we knew it not!” Doth not he that weigheth the heart observe it? Yea, he that keepeth thy soul knoweth it. And he will render to every man according to his works.
13 My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, And the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;
14 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.
So learn thou wisdom for thy soul! When thou hast found it, there shall be a reward, And thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
Plot not, O wicked man! against the habitation of the righteous; Spoil not his resting-place!
16 For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
For though the righteous fall seven times, yet shall he rise up again; But the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18 Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
Lest the LORD see, and it displease him, And he turn away his anger from him.
19 Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
Fret not thyself on account of evil men, Neither be thou envious of the wicked;
20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
For there shall be no posterity to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king; And mingle not with them that are given to change!
22 For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
For their calamity shall rise up suddenly, And their ruin, coming from them both, in a moment.
23 These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
These also are words of the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
He that saith to the wicked, “Thou art righteous,” Him shall the people curse; Nations shall abhor him.
25 And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
But it shall be well with them that punish him, And the blessing of prosperity shall come upon them.
26 He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
He that giveth a right answer Kisseth the lips.
27 Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
Arrange thy work without, And prepare it in thy field: Afterwards thou mayst build thy house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your lips.
Be not a witness without cause against thy neighbor, And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
Say not, “As he hath done to me, So will I do to him; I will render to the man according to his doings.”
30 I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
I passed by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding,
31 And behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
And, lo! it was all overgrown with thorns, And the face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have received instruction,
Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it. and received instruction.
33 A little sleep—a little slumber—A little folding of the hands to lie down.
“A little sleep, a little slumber! A little folding of the hands to rest!”
34 And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
So shall poverty come upon thee like a highwayman; Yea, want like an armed man.
