Proverbs 24
1 Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:
2 For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief.
3 A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
Through wisdom is a house builded; And by understanding it is established;
4 And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might.
6 For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war; And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8 Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
He that deviseth to do evil, Men shall call him a mischief-maker.
9 The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
The thought of foolishness is sin; And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.
11 If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back.
12 When you say, “Behold, we did not know this.” Is the Ponderer of hearts not He who understands? And the Keeper of your soul He who knows? And He has rendered to man according to his work.
If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this; Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his work?
13 My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:
14 So [is] the knowledge of wisdom to your soul, If you have found that there is a posterity And your hope is not cut off.
So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.
15 Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting-place:
16 For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
17 Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;
18 Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked:
20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; [And] company not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it?
23 These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
These also are [sayings] of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
24 Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
But to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
He kisseth the lips Who giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field; And afterwards build thy house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your lips.
Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.
30 I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have received instruction,
Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction:
33 A little sleep—a little slumber—A little folding of the hands to lie down.
[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;
34 And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.
