Proverbs 24
1 Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2 For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3 A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
Through wisdom is an house built; and by understanding it is established:
4 And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6 For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in 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 a mischievous person.
9 The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
10 You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
If thou faintest in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
11 If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
If thou refraineth to deliver them that are drawn to death, and those that are ready to be slain;
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 sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that weigheth 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?
13 My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
My son, eat thou honey, because 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 shall the knowledge of wisdom be to thy soul: when thou hast found it, then 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.
Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; destroy not his resting place:
16 For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth 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 thy 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 it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
For there shall be no reward 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 meddle 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 suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
23 These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
These things also belong to 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 to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
Prepare thy work outside, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards 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 against thy neighbour without cause; 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, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
30 I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
I went 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 grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face of it, and its stone wall 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.
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34 And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
