Proverbs 24
1 Don’t be envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 for their hearts plot violence and their lips talk about mischief.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 A wise man has great power. A knowledgeable man increases strength,
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 for by wise guidance you wage your war, and victory is in many advisors.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool. He doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 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?
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 My son, eat honey, for it is good, the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste;
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 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.
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 Don’t lay in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Don’t destroy his resting place;
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 for a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
[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 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown,
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
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 Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked;
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 for there will be no reward to the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t join those who are rebellious,
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 for their calamity will rise suddenly. Who knows what destruction may come from them both?
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 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgement is not good.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” peoples will curse him, and nations will abhor him—
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 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.
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 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.
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 Don’t be a witness against your neighbour without cause. Don’t deceive with your lips.
[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 Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
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 I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding.
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
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 Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep,
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 so your poverty will come as a robber and your want as an armed man.
[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].
