Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them:
2 because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
For the purposes of their hearts are destruction, and their lips are talking of trouble.
3 People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:
4 By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.
5 Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater.
6 Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.
8 Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs.
9 It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.
10 If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small.
11 [If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction.
12 If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?
13 My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:
14 Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
Do not keep a secret watch, O evil-doer, against the fields of the upright man, or send destruction on his resting-place:
16 [Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
For an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again: but trouble is the downfall of the evil.
17 Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:
18 because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.
19 Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners:
20 because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.
21 My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:
22 because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?
23 Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.
24 If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.
25 but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.
26 Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
He gives a kiss with his lips who gives a right answer.
27 First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.
28 [In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
Say not, I will do to him as he has done to me; I will give the man the reward of his work.
30 One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;
31 I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.
33 [If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:
34 [soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.
