Proverbs 24:1-34

  • Do not envy evil men (1)

  • By wisdom a house is built up (3)

  • Righteous man may fall but will get up (16)

  • Do not retaliate (29)

  • Slumbering brings poverty (33, 34)

24  Do not envy evil men,And do not crave their company,+   For their heart meditates on violence,And their lips speak of trouble.   By wisdom a house* is built up,+And by discernment it is made secure.   By knowledge its rooms are filledWith all sorts of precious and pleasant treasures.+   A wise man is powerful,+And with knowledge a man increases his power.   By skillful direction* you will wage your war,+And through many advisers* there is victory.*+   True wisdom is unattainable for a fool;+He has nothing to say in the city gate.   Anyone who plots evilWill be called a master schemer.+   Foolish schemes* are sinful,And people detest a ridiculer.+ 10  If you become discouraged in the day of distress,*Your strength will be meager. 11  Rescue those who are being taken away to death,And hold back those staggering to the slaughter.+ 12  If you say, “But we did not know about this,” Does not the One who examines hearts* discern it?+ Yes, the One who watches you* will knowAnd will repay each man according to his activity.+ 13  My son, eat honey, because it is good;Honey from the comb is sweet to the taste. 14  Likewise, know that wisdom is good for you.*+ If you find it, you will have a futureAnd your hope will not be cut off.+ 15  Do not wickedly lie in ambush near the home of the righteous one;Do not destroy his place of rest. 16  For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again,+But the wicked will be made to stumble by calamity.+ 17  When your enemy falls, do not rejoice,And when he stumbles, do not let your heart be joyful;+ 18  Otherwise, Jehovah will see and be displeased,And He will turn away his anger from him.*+ 19  Do not be upset* because of evil men;Do not envy wicked people, 20  For there is no future for anyone evil;+The lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.+ 21  My son, fear Jehovah and the king.+ And do not associate with dissenters,*+ 22  For their disaster will arise suddenly.+ Who knows what ruin both* will bring upon them?+ 23  These sayings also belong to the wise: Partiality in judgment is not good.+ 24  Whoever says to the wicked one, “You are righteous,”+ Will be cursed by the peoples and denounced by the nations. 25  But it will go well for those reproving him;+Blessings of good things will come upon them.+ 26  People will kiss the lips of the one replying honestly.*+ 27  Prepare your outside work, and get everything ready in the field;Then build your house.* 28  Do not testify against your neighbor without grounds.+ Do not use your lips to deceive others.+ 29  Do not say: “I will do to him just as he has done to me;I will repay him for what he did.”*+ 30  I passed by the field of the lazy one,+By the vineyard of the man lacking good sense.* 31  I saw that it was overgrown with weeds;The ground was covered with nettles,And its stone wall was broken down.+ 32  I observed this and took it to heart;I saw it and learned this lesson:* 33  A little sleep, a little slumbering,A little folding of the hands to rest, 34  And your poverty will come like a bandit,And your want like an armed man.+

Footnotes

Or “household.”
Or “wise guidance.”
Or “counselors.”
Or “success; salvation.”
Or “The schemes of a fool.”
Or “in times of trouble.”
Or “motives.”
Or “your soul.”
Or “is sweet to your soul.”
That is, the enemy.
Or “show yourself heated up.”
Or “those who are for a change.”
That is, Jehovah and the king.
Or possibly, “Replying in a straight­forward way is like giving a kiss.”
Or “household.”
Or “I will get even with him.”
Lit., “in want of heart.”
Lit., “I took the discipline:”