Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
Be not thou envious of wicked men, neither crave 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, violence, their heart muttereth, and, mischief, their lips do speak.
3 People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
In wisdom, is a house builded, and, in understanding, is it 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, in knowledge, chambers are filled, with all acquisitions, costly and fair.
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 mighty, and, a man of knowledge, becometh alert in vigour.
6 Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
Surely, with concerted measures, shalt thou make for thyself war, and, success, lieth in the greatness of the counsellor.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
Unattainable to a foolish man, are the dictates of wisdom, in the gate, he openeth not his mouth.
8 Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
He that deviseth to do mischief, him, shall men call, a master of plots.
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 folly, is sin, and, an abomination to mankind, is a buffoon.
10 If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
Thou hast been slothful in the day of straitness, Strait, is thy strength.
11 [If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
Deliver thou such as are being led forth to death, and, them who are tottering to slaughter, oh that thou wouldst hold back!
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.
Though thou say, Lo! we knew not this, Shall not, he that proveth hearts, himself, discern? And, he that formeth thy soul, himself, know? and bring back to a son of earth according to his deed?
13 My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
My son, eat thou honey, because it is good, —and droppings from the comb [because they are] sweet to thy palate:
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].
Thus, take knowledge of wisdom, for thine own soul; If thou find it, then there is a future, and, thine expectation, 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.
Do not lie in wait, thou lawless man, against the home of the righteous, —neither destroy thou his place of rest;
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, seven times, may the righteous fall and yet arise, but, lawless men, shall stumble into calamity.
17 Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
When thine enemy falleth, do not thou rejoice, and, when he stumbleth, let not thy heart exult:
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.
Lest Yahweh see it, and it be wicked in his eyes, and he turn away from him his anger.
19 Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
Burn not with vexation against evil doers, be not envious of lawless men;
20 because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
For there shall be no future for the wicked, The lamp of the lawless, shall go 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,
Revere thou Yahweh, my son, and the king, and, with the fickle, have thou no fellowship;
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, suddenly, shall arise their calamity; and, the misfortune of their years, who knoweth?
23 Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
These things also, concern the wise, To take note of faces in judgment, 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 that saith to the lawless man, Righteous, thou art, peoples shall denounce him, populations shall curse 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 reprovers, one should be pleasant, and, upon them, should come an excellent blessing:
26 Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
Lips, should one kiss with one who answereth in right words.
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, in the open, thy work, and make ready, in the field, for thyself, Afterwards, shalt thou build thy 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 become a needless witness against thy neighbour, so mightest thou open too wide thy lips:
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.”
Do not say—According to what he hath done to me, so, will I do to him, I will repay every one according to his work.
30 One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
By the field of the sluggard, I passed, and by the vineyard of a man lacking 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 lo! there had come up all over it—thorns, there had covered the face thereof—thistles, and, the stone fence thereof, had been thrown down.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
So I observed it, for myself, I applied my heart, I looked—I accepted correction:
33 [If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest:
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 shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
