Proverbs 24
24
Saying 20
1Do not envy the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2for their hearts plot violence,
and their lips talk about making trouble.
Saying 21
3By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
4through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.
Saying 22
5The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.
Saying 23
7Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!
11Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Saying 26
13Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
Saying 27
15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Saying 28
17Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.
Saying 29
19Do not fret because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying 30
21Fear the Lord and the king, my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22for those two will send sudden destruction on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judging is not good:
24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause—
would you use your lips to mislead?
29Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
30I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
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Proverbs 24: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 24
24
— 19 —
1Don’t be jealous of evil people. Have no desire to be around them. 2In their hearts they plan to do evil. All they talk about is making trouble.
— 20 —
3Good homes are built on wisdom and understanding. 4Knowledge fills the rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.
— 21 —
5Wisdom makes a man more powerful. Knowledge gives a man strength. 6Get good advice before you start a war. To win, you must have many good advisors.
— 22 —
7Fools cannot understand wisdom. They have nothing to say when people are discussing important things.
— 23 —
8If you start planning ways to do wrong, people will learn that you are a troublemaker. 9Such foolish plans are wrong, and people have no respect for someone who laughs at what is right.
— 24 —
10If you are weak in times of trouble, that is real weakness.
— 25 —
11If you see someone on their way to death or in danger of being killed, you must do something to save them. 12You cannot say, “It’s none of my business.” The Lord knows everything, and he knows why you do things. He watches you, and he will pay you back for what you do.
— 26 —
13My son, eat honey; it is good. Honey straight from the honeycomb is the sweetest. 14In the same way, know that wisdom is good for you. Wisdom will give you something to hope for that will not disappoint you.
— 27 —
15Don’t be like a criminal who makes plans to rob those who are good or take away their homes. 16Good people might fall again and again, but they always get up. It is the wicked who are defeated by their troubles.
— 28 —
17Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be glad when they fall. 18The Lord will see this, and he might be upset with you and decide not to punish your enemy.
— 29 —
19Don’t let those who are evil upset you, and don’t be jealous of them. 20They have no hope. Their light will burn out.
— 30 —
21Son, respect the Lord and the king, and don’t join with those who are against them, 22because people like that can quickly be destroyed. You have no idea how much trouble God and the king can make for their enemies.
More Wise Sayings
23These are also words from the wise:
A judge must be fair. He must not support some people simply because he knows them. 24The people will turn against a judge who lets the guilty go free. Even the people of other nations will curse him. 25But if a judge punishes the guilty, then people will be happy with him, and he will be a blessing to them.
26An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips.
27First get your fields ready, next plant your crops, and then build your house.
28Don’t speak against someone without a good reason, or you will appear foolish.
29Don’t say, “You hurt me, so I will do the same to you. I will punish you for what you did to me.”
30I walked past a field that belonged to a lazy man. It was a vineyard that belonged to someone who understood nothing. 31Weeds were growing everywhere! Wild vines covered the ground, and the wall around the vineyard was broken and falling down. 32I looked at this and thought about it. This is what I learned: 33a little sleep, a little rest, folding your arms, and taking a nap— 34these things will make you poor very quickly. Soon you will have nothing, as if a thief broke in and took everything away.
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