Proverbs 24

24Do not be ^aenvious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;

²For their heart devises violence,

And their lips talk of troublemaking.

³Through wisdom a house is built,

And by understanding it is established;

⁴By knowledge the rooms are filled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

^5bA wise man is strong,

Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;

^6cFor by wise counsel you will wage your own war,

And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

^7dWisdom is too lofty for a fool;

He does not open his mouth in the gate.

⁸He who ^eplots to do evil

Will be called a ¹schemer.

⁹The devising of foolishness is sin,

And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

¹⁰If you ^ffaint in the day of adversity,

Your strength is small.

^11gDeliver those who are drawn toward death,

And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

¹²If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”

Does not ^hHe who weighs the hearts consider it?

He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?

And will He not render to each man ⁱaccording to his deeds?

¹³My son, ^jeat honey because it is good,

And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;

^14kSo shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;

If you have found it, there is a ²prospect,

And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;

Do not plunder his resting place;

^16lFor a righteous man may fall seven times

And rise again,

^mBut the wicked shall fall by calamity.

¹⁷ⁿDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,

And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

¹⁸Lest the Lord see it, and ³it displease Him,

And He turn away His wrath from him.

^19oDo not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the wicked;

²⁰For there will be no prospect for the evil man;

The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, ^pfear the Lord and the king;

Do not associate with those given to change;

²²For their calamity will rise suddenly,

And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

²³These things also belong to the wise:

^qIt is not good to ⁴show partiality in judgment.

^24rHe who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”

Him the people will curse;

Nations will abhor him.

²⁵But those who rebuke the wicked will have ^sdelight,

And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

^27tPrepare your outside work,

Make it fit for yourself in the field;

And afterward build your house.

^28uDo not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,

⁵For would you deceive with your lips?

^29vDo not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;

I will render to the man according to his work.”

³⁰I went by the field of the lazy man,

And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;

³¹And there it was, ^wall overgrown with thorns;

Its surface was covered with nettles;

Its stone wall was broken down.

³²When I saw it, I considered it well;

I looked on it and received instruction:

^33xA little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest;

^34ySo shall your poverty come like ⁶a prowler,

And your need like ⁷an armed man.