Proverbiorum 24
1 ne aemuleris viros malos nec desideres esse cum eis
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 quia rapinas meditatur mens eorum et fraudes labia eorum loquuntur
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 sapientia aedificabitur domus et prudentia roborabitur
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 in doctrina replebuntur cellaria universa substantia pretiosa et pulcherrima
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 vir sapiens et fortis est et vir doctus robustus et validus
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 quia cum dispositione initur bellum et erit salus ubi multa consilia sunt
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 excelsa stulto sapientia in porta non aperiet os suum
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 qui cogitat malefacere stultus vocabitur
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 cogitatio stulti peccatum est et abominatio hominum detractor
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 si desperaveris lassus in die angustiae inminuetur fortitudo tua
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 erue eos qui ducuntur ad mortem et qui trahuntur ad interitum liberare ne cesses
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 si dixeris vires non suppetunt qui inspector est cordis ipse intellegit et servatorem animae tuae nihil fallit reddetque homini iuxta opera sua
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.
13 comede fili mi mel quia bonum est et favum dulcissimum gutturi tuo
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 sic et doctrina sapientiae animae tuae quam cum inveneris habebis in novissimis et spes tua non peribit
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].
15 ne insidieris et quaeras impietatem in domo iusti neque vastes requiem eius
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 septies enim cadet iustus et resurget impii autem corruent in malum
[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.
17 cum ceciderit inimicus tuus ne gaudeas et in ruina eius ne exultet cor tuum
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 ne forte videat Dominus et displiceat ei et auferat ab eo iram suam
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.
19 ne contendas cum pessimis nec aemuleris impios
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 quoniam non habent futurorum spem mali et lucerna impiorum extinguetur
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 time Dominum fili mi et regem et cum detractoribus non commiscearis
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 quoniam repente consurget perditio eorum et ruinam utriusque quis novit
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.
23 haec quoque sapientibus cognoscere personam in iudicio non est bonum
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 qui dicit impio iustus es maledicent ei populi et detestabuntur eum tribus
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,
25 qui arguunt laudabuntur et super ipsos veniet benedictio
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).
26 labia deosculabitur qui recta verba respondet
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 praepara foris opus tuum et diligenter exerce agrum tuum ut postea aedifices domum tuam
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.
28 ne sis testis frustra contra proximum tuum nec lactes quemquam labiis tuis
[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].
29 ne dicas quomodo fecit mihi sic faciam ei reddam unicuique secundum opus suum
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.”
30 per agrum hominis pigri transivi et per vineam viri stulti
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 et ecce totum repleverant urticae operuerant superficiem eius spinae et maceria lapidum destructa erat
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).
32 quod cum vidissem posui in corde meo et exemplo didici disciplinam
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 parum inquam dormies modicum dormitabis pauxillum manus conseres ut quiescas
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 et veniet quasi cursor egestas tua et mendicitas quasi vir armatus
[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].
