Proverbs 24
1
Do not be envious of evil
men,
Nor desire to be with
them;
2 For their heart
devises violence,
And their lips talk of
troublemaking.
3 Through wisdom a
house is built,
And by understanding
it is established;
4 By knowledge the
rooms are filled
With all precious and
pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is
strong,
Yes, a man of
knowledge increases
strength;
6 For by wise counsel
you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of
counselors there is
safety.
7 Wisdom is
too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his
mouth in the gate.
8 He who plots to do
evil
Will be called a
schemer.
9 The devising of
foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is
an abomination to men.
10 If you
faint in the day of
adversity,
Your strength is
small.
11 Deliver those
who are drawn toward
death,
And hold back those
stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say,
“Surely we did not know
this,”
Does not He who weighs
the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your
soul, does He not
know it?
And will He not
render to each man
according to his deeds?
13 My son, eat honey
because it is good,
And the honeycomb
which is sweet to
your taste;
14 So shall
the knowledge of wisdom
be to your soul;
If you have found
it, there is a prospect,
And your hope will not
be cut off.
15 Do not lie in
wait, O wicked man,
against the dwelling of the
righteous;
Do not plunder his
resting place;
16 For a righteous
man may fall seven times
And rise again,
But the wicked shall
fall by calamity.
17 Do not rejoice
when your enemy falls,
And do not let your
heart be glad when he
stumbles;
18 Lest the LORD see
it, and it displease
Him,
And He turn away His
wrath from him.
19 Do not fret
because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the
wicked;
20 For there will be
no prospect for the evil
man;
The lamp of the wicked
will be put out.
21 My son, fear the
LORD and the king;
Do not associate with
those given to change;
22 For their calamity
will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin
those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the
Wise
23
These things also
belong to the wise:
It isnot good
to show partiality in
judgment.
24 He who says to the
wicked, “You are
righteous,”
Him the people will
curse;
Nations will abhor
him.
25 But those who
rebuke the wicked
will have delight,
And a good blessing
will come upon them.
26 He who gives a
right answer kisses the
lips.
27 Prepare your
outside work,
Make it fit for
yourself in the field;
And afterward build
your house.
28 Do not be a
witness against your
neighbor without cause,
For would you deceive[a]
with your lips?
29 Do not say, “I
will do to him just as he
has done to me;
I will render to the
man according to his work.”
30 I went by the
field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of
the man devoid of
understanding;
31 And there it was,
all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was
covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was
broken down.
32 When I saw it,
I considered it well;
I looked on it and
received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a
little slumber,
A little folding of
the hands to rest;
34 So shall your
poverty come like a
prowler,
And your need like an
armed man.
Footnotes:
-
Proverbs 24:28
Septuagint and Vulgate
read Do not deceive.
