Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
Don’t be envious of evil men, neither desire 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 their hearts plot violence and their lips talk about mischief.
3 People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;
4 By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.
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 has great power. A knowledgeable man increases strength,
6 Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
for by wise guidance you wage your war, and victory is in many advisors.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
Wisdom is too high for a fool. He doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.
8 Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.
9 It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.
10 If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.
11 [If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
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.
If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this,” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?
13 My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
My son, eat honey, for it is good, the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste;
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].
so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul. If you have found it, then there will be a reward: Your hope will 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.
Don’t lay in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Don’t destroy his resting place;
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 a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
17 Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown,
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 the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked;
20 because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
for there will be no reward to the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed 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,
My son, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t join those who are rebellious,
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 their calamity will rise suddenly. Who knows what destruction may come from them both?
23 Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgement 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 who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” peoples will curse him, and nations will abhor 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 it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.
26 Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
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 your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your 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].
Don’t be a witness against your neighbour without cause. Don’t deceive with your 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.”
Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding.
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).
Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:
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 sleep,
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 your poverty will come as a robber and your want as an armed man.
