Chapter 24

Precepts and Warnings

1 Do not be aenvious of evil men,

Nor desire to bbe with them;

2 For their 1minds devise aviolence,

And their lips btalk of trouble.

3 aBy wisdom a house is built,

And by understanding it is established;

4 And by knowledge the rooms are afilled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A awise man is 1strong,

And a man of knowledge 2increases power.

6 For aby wise guidance you will 1wage war,

And bin abundance of counselors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is atoo exalted for a fool,

He does not open his mouth bin the gate.

8 One who aplans to do evil,

Men will call a 1schemer.

9 The adevising of folly is sin,

And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you aare slack in the day of distress,

Your strength is limited.

11 aDeliver those who are being taken away to death,

And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

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

Does He not aconsider it bwho weighs the hearts?

And cdoes He not know it who dkeeps your soul?

And will He not 1erender to man according to his work?

13 My son, eat ahoney, for it is good,

Yes, the bhoney from the comb is sweet to your taste;

14 Know that awisdom is thus for your soul;

If you find it, then there will be a 1bfuture,

And your hope will not be cut off.

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

Do not destroy his resting place;

16 For a arighteous man falls seven times, and rises again,

But the bwicked stumble in time of calamity.

17 aDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,

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

18 Or the Lord will see it and 1be displeased,

And turn His anger away from him.

19 aDo not fret because of evildoers

Or be benvious of the wicked;

20 For athere will be no 1bfuture for the evil man;

The clamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, 1afear the Lord and the king;

Do not associate with those who are given to change,

22 For their acalamity will rise suddenly,

And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

23 These also are asayings of the wise.

To 1bshow partiality in judgment is not good.

24 He awho says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”

bPeoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;

25 But ato those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,

And a good blessing will come upon them.

26 He kisses the lips

Who gives 1a right answer.

27 Prepare your work outside

And amake it ready for yourself in the field;

Afterwards, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a awitness against your neighbor without cause,

And bdo not deceive with your lips.

29 aDo not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;

I will 1render to the man according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of the sluggard

And by the vineyard of the man alacking 1sense,

31 And behold, it was completely aovergrown with thistles;

Its surface was covered with 1bnettles,

And its stone cwall was broken down.

32 When I saw, I 1reflected upon it;

I looked, and received instruction.

33 “aA little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest,”

34 Then your poverty will come as 1a robber

And your want like 2an armed man.

Chapter 25

Similitudes, Instructions

1 These also are aproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

2 It is the glory of God to aconceal a matter,

But the glory of bkings is to search out a matter.

3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,

So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the adross from the silver,

And there comes out a vessel for the bsmith;

5 Take away the awicked before the king,

And his bthrone will be established in righteousness.

6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,

And do not stand in the place of great men;

7 For ait is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”

Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,

Whom your eyes have seen.

8 Do not go out ahastily to 1argue your case;

2Otherwise, what will you do in 3the end,

When your neighbor humiliates you?

9 1aArgue your case with your neighbor,

And bdo not reveal the secret of another,

10 Or he who hears it will reproach you,

And the evil report about you will not 1pass away.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a aword spoken in 1right circumstances.

12 Like 1an aearring of gold and an bornament of cfine gold

Is a wise reprover to a dlistening ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in the 1time of harvest

Is a afaithful messenger to those who send him,

For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Like aclouds and bwind without rain

Is a man who boasts 1of his gifts falsely.

15 By 1aforbearance a ruler may be persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

16 Have you afound honey? Eat only 1what you need,

That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,

Or he will become 1weary of you and hate you.

18 Like a club and a asword and a sharp barrow

Is a man who bears cfalse witness against his neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth and 1an unsteady foot

Is confidence in a afaithless man in time of trouble.

20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on 1soda,

Is he who sings songs to 2a troubled heart.

21 aIf 1your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

22 For you will 1heap burning coals on his head,

And athe Lord will reward you.

23 The north wind brings forth rain,

And a 1abackbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

24 It is abetter to live in a corner of the roof

Than 1in a house shared with a contentious woman.

25 Like cold water to a weary soul,

So is agood news from a distant land.

26 Like a atrampled spring and a 1polluted well

Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey,

Nor is it glory to asearch out 1one’s own glory.

28 Like a acity that is broken into and without walls

Is a man bwho has no control over his spirit.

Chapter 26

Similitudes, Instructions

1 Like snow in summer and like arain in harvest,

So honor is not bfitting for a fool.

2 Like a asparrow in its 1flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

So a bcurse without cause does not 2alight.

3 A awhip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

And a brod for the back of fools.

4 aDo not answer a fool according to his folly,

Or you will also be like him.

5 aAnswer a fool as his folly deserves,

That he not be bwise in his own eyes.

6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence

Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.

7 Like the legs which 1are useless to the lame,

So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like 1one who binds a stone in a sling,

So is he who gives honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn which 1falls into the hand of a drunkard,

So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 1Like an archer who wounds everyone,

So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.

11 Like aa dog that returns to its vomit

Is a fool who brepeats 1his folly.

12 Do you see a man awise in his own eyes?

bThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The asluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

A lion is 1in the open square!”

14 As the door turns on its hinges,

So does the asluggard on his bed.

15 The asluggard buries his hand in the dish;

He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

16 The sluggard is awiser in his own eyes

Than seven men who can 1give a discreet answer.

17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears

Is he who passes by and 1meddles with astrife not belonging to him.

18 Like a madman who throws

aFirebrands, arrows and death,

19 So is the man who adeceives his neighbor,

And says, “bWas I not joking?”

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,

And where there is no awhisperer, bcontention quiets down.

21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

So is a acontentious man to kindle strife.

22 The awords of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the 1innermost parts of the body.

23 Like an earthen avessel overlaid with silver bdross

Are burning lips and a wicked heart.

24 He who ahates disguises it with his lips,

But he lays up bdeceit in his 1heart.

25 When 1he aspeaks graciously, do not believe him,

For there are seven abominations in his heart.

26 Though his hatred acovers itself with guile,

His wickedness will be brevealed before the assembly.

27 He who adigs a pit will fall into it,

And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

28 A lying tongue hates 1those it crushes,

And a aflattering mouth works ruin.