Proverbs 24:23-34

These are also sayings of the wise: It is not good to take sides when you are the judge. Don’t tell the wicked that they are innocent; people will curse you, and nations will hate you. But things will go well if you punish the guilty, and you will receive rich blessings. An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips. First, finish your outside work and prepare your fields. After that, you can build your house. Don’t testify against your neighbor for no good reason. Don’t say things that are false. Don’t say, “I’ll get even; I’ll do to him what he did to me.” I passed by a lazy person’s field and by the vineyard of someone with no sense. Thorns had grown up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds, and the stone walls had fallen down. I thought about what I had seen; I learned this lesson from what I saw. You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest. Soon you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.