Proverbs 24:1-34
24 Do not envy evil men,And do not crave their company,+
2 For their heart meditates on violence,And their lips speak of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house* is built up,+And by discernment it is made secure.
4 By knowledge its rooms are filledWith all sorts of precious and pleasant treasures.+
5 A wise man is powerful,+And with knowledge a man increases his power.
6 By skillful direction* you will wage your war,+And through many advisers* there is victory.*+
7 True wisdom is unattainable for a fool;+He has nothing to say in the city gate.
8 Anyone who plots evilWill be called a master schemer.+
9 Foolish schemes* are sinful,And people detest a ridiculer.+
10 If you become discouraged in the day of distress,*Your strength will be meager.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death,And hold back those staggering to the slaughter.+
12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”
Does not the One who examines hearts* discern it?+
Yes, the One who watches you* will knowAnd will repay each man according to his activity.+
13 My son, eat honey, because it is good;Honey from the comb is sweet to the taste.
14 Likewise, know that wisdom is good for you.*+
If you find it, you will have a futureAnd your hope will not be cut off.+
15 Do not wickedly lie in ambush near the home of the righteous one;Do not destroy his place of rest.
16 For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again,+But the wicked will be made to stumble by calamity.+
17 When your enemy falls, do not rejoice,And when he stumbles, do not let your heart be joyful;+
18 Otherwise, Jehovah will see and be displeased,And He will turn away his anger from him.*+
19 Do not be upset* because of evil men;Do not envy wicked people,
20 For there is no future for anyone evil;+The lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.+
21 My son, fear Jehovah and the king.+
And do not associate with dissenters,*+
22 For their disaster will arise suddenly.+
Who knows what ruin both* will bring upon them?+
23 These sayings also belong to the wise:
Partiality in judgment is not good.+
24 Whoever says to the wicked one, “You are righteous,”+
Will be cursed by the peoples and denounced by the nations.
25 But it will go well for those reproving him;+Blessings of good things will come upon them.+
26 People will kiss the lips of the one replying honestly.*+
27 Prepare your outside work, and get everything ready in the field;Then build your house.*
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without grounds.+
Do not use your lips to deceive others.+
29 Do not say: “I will do to him just as he has done to me;I will repay him for what he did.”*+
30 I passed by the field of the lazy one,+By the vineyard of the man lacking good sense.*
31 I saw that it was overgrown with weeds;The ground was covered with nettles,And its stone wall was broken down.+
32 I observed this and took it to heart;I saw it and learned this lesson:*
33 A little sleep, a little slumbering,A little folding of the hands to rest,
34 And your poverty will come like a bandit,And your want like an armed man.+
Footnotes
^ Or “household.”
^ Or “wise guidance.”
^ Or “counselors.”
^ Or “success; salvation.”
^ Or “The schemes of a fool.”
^ Or “in times of trouble.”
^ Or “motives.”
^ Or “your soul.”
^ Or “is sweet to your soul.”
^ That is, the enemy.
^ Or “show yourself heated up.”
^ Or “those who are for a change.”
^ That is, Jehovah and the king.
^ Or possibly, “Replying in a straightforward way is like giving a kiss.”
^ Or “household.”
^ Or “I will get even with him.”
^ Lit., “in want of heart.”
^ Lit., “I took the discipline:”