Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
Be not thou enuious against euill men, neither 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 their heart imagineth destruction, and their lippes speake mischiefe.
3 People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
Through wisdome is an house builded, and with vnderstanding it is established.
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 shall the chambers bee filled with all precious, and pleasant riches.
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: for a man of vnderstanding encreaseth his strength.
6 Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy warre, and in the multitude of them that can giue counsell, is health.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
Wisdome is hie to a foole: therefore he can not open his mouth in the gate.
8 Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
Hee that imagineth to doe euill, men shall call him an autour of wickednes.
9 It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
The wicked thought of a foole is sinne, and the scorner is an abomination vnto men.
10 If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
If thou bee faint in the day of aduersitie, thy strength is small.
11 [If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
Deliuer them that are drawen to death: wilt thou not preserue them that are led to be slaine?
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 thou say, Beholde, we knew not of it: he that pondereth the heartes, doeth not hee vnderstand it? and hee that keepeth thy soule, knoweth he it not? will not he also recompense euery man according to his workes?
13 My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
My sonne, eate hony, for it is good, and the hony combe, for it is sweete vnto thy mouth.
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 shall the knowledge of wisdome be vnto thy soule, if thou finde it, and there shall be an ende, and thine hope shall 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.
Laye no waite, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoyle not 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 a iust man falleth seuen times, and riseth againe: but the wicked fall into mischiefe.
17 Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
Bee thou not glad when thine enemie falleth, and let not thine heart reioyce when hee stumbleth,
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.
Least the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turne his wrath from him.
19 Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
Fret not thy selfe because of the malicious, neither be enuious at the wicked.
20 because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
For there shall bee none ende of plagues to the euill man: the light of the wicked shall bee 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 sonne feare the Lord, and the King, and meddle not with them that are sedicious.
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 destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both?
23 Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
ALSO THESE THINGS PERTEINE TO THE WISE, It is not good to haue respect of any person in iudgement.
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 that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhorre him.
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 to them that rebuke him, shall be pleasure, and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse.
26 Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
They shall kisse the lippes of him that answereth vpright wordes.
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.
Prepare thy worke without, and make readie thy thinges in the fielde, and after, builde thine 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].
Be not a witnes against thy neighbour without cause: for wilt thou deceiue with thy lippes?
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 wil doe to him, as he hath done to mee, I will recompence euery man according to his worke.
30 One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
I passed by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the man destitute of vnderstanding.
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 lo, it was al growen ouer with thornes, and nettles had couered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken downe.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
Then I behelde, and I considered it well: I looked vpon it, and receiued instruction.
33 [If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the handes to sleepe.
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 thy pouertie commeth as one that traueileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
