Proverbiorum 24
1 Ne aemuleris viros malos, nec desideres esse cum eis:
Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
2 quia rapinas meditatur mens eorum, et fraudes labia eorum loquuntur.
for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
3 Sapientia aedificabitur domus, et prudentia roborabitur.
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
4 In doctrina replebuntur cellaria, universa substantia pretiosa et pulcherrima.
through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 Vir sapiens, fortis est: et vir doctus, robustus et validus.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 Quia cum dispositione initur bellum: et erit salus ubi multa consilia sunt.
Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
7 Excelsa stulto sapientia, in porta non aperiet os suum.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
8 Qui cogitat mala facere, stultus vocabitur.
He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 Cogitatio stulti peccatum est: et abominatio hominum detractor.
A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
10 Si desperaveris lapsus in die angustiae: imminuetur fortitudo tua.
If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
11 Erue eos, qui ducuntur ad mortem: et qui trahuntur ad interitum liberare ne cesses.
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 Si dixeris: Vires non suppetunt: qui inspector est cordis, ipse intelligit, et servatorem animae tuae nihil fallit, reddetque homini iuxta opera sua.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
13 Comede, fili mi, mel, quia bonum est, et favum dulcissimum gutturi tuo:
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Sic et doctrina sapientiae animae tuae: quam cum inveneris, habebis in novissimis spem, et spes tua non peribit.
Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.
15 Ne insidieris, et quaeras impietatem in domo iusti, neque vastes requiem eius.
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.
16 Septies enim in die cadit iustus, et resurgit: impii autem corruent in malum.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
17 Cum ceciderit inimicus tuus, ne gaudeas, et in ruina eius ne exultet cor tuum:
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 ne forte videat Dominus, et displiceat ei, et auferat ab eo iram suam.
or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Ne contendas cum pessimis, nec aemuleris impios:
Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 quoniam non habent futurorum spem mali, et lucerna impiorum extinguetur.
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 Time Dominum, fili mi, et regem: et cum detractoribus non commiscearis:
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 quoniam repente consurget perditio eorum: et ruinam utriusque quis novit?
For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
23 Haec quoque sapientibus dico: Cognoscere personam in iudicio non est bonum.
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 Qui dicunt impio: Iustus es: maledicent eis populi, et detestabuntur eos tribus.
Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
25 Qui arguunt eum, laudabuntur: et super ipsos veniet benedictio.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 Labia deosculabitur, qui recta verba respondet.
An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Praepara foris opus tuum, et diligenter exerce agrum tuum: et postea aedifices domum tuam.
Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
28 Ne sis testis frustra contra proximum tuum: nec lactes quemquam labiis tuis.
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Ne dicas: Quomodo fecit mihi, sic faciam ei: reddam unicuique secundum opus suum.
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 Per agrum hominis pigri transivi, et per vineam viri stulti:
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 et ecce totum repleverant urticae, et operuerant superficiem eius spinae, et maceria lapidum destructa erat.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
32 Quod cum vidissem, posui in corde meo, et exemplo didici disciplinam.
I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
33 Usquequo piger dormies? usquequo de somno consurgens? Parum, inquam, dormies, modicum dormitabis, pauxillum manus conseres, ut quiescas:
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 et veniet tibi quasi cursor egestas, et mendicitas quasi vir armatus.
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
