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
1#A new section (24:1–14)—on the fates of the wicked and foolish—begins with a warning not to take the foolish as role models. The same admonition is repeated in 23:17–18 and 24:19–20. In 24:1, the verb means “to be jealous, zealous; to emulate.” The motive stated in the other passages—the wicked have no future—is indirectly stated here. Do not envy the wicked,
nor desire to be with them;#Prv 3:31; 23:17; Ps 37:1.
2For their hearts plot violence,
and their lips speak of foul play.
3By wisdom a house is built,
by understanding it is established;
4And by knowledge its rooms are filled
with every precious and pleasing possession.
5The wise are more powerful than the strong,
and the learned, than the mighty,#Prv 21:22.
6For by strategy war is waged,
and victory depends on many counselors.#Prv 20:18.
7#The verses are unclear; most scholars take them as two or even three single sayings, but, taken singly, the verses are banal. They are best taken as a single statement. Just as vv. 3–6 described the advantages of wisdom, so vv. 7–9 describe the disadvantages of its opposite, folly: it alienates one from the community (v. 7), for fools become notorious (v. 8), dooming their plans and ostracizing themselves. Wise words are beyond fools’ reach,#Sir 6:21.
in the assembly they do not open their mouth;
8As they calculate how to do evil,
people brand them troublemakers.
9The scheme of a fool gains no acceptance,
the scoffer is an abomination to the community.
10#Excuses for not coming to the aid of one’s neighbor in serious trouble do not suffice before God, who sees through self-serving excuses. Did you fail in a day of adversity,
did your strength fall short?
11Did you fail to rescue those who were being dragged off to death,#Rescue…death: perhaps refers to the legal rescue of those unjustly condemned to death.
those tottering, those near death,
12because you said, “We didn’t know about it”?
Surely, the Searcher of hearts knows
and will repay all according to their deeds.#Ps 62:13; Sir 16:12; Mt 16:27; Rom 2:6.
13#God’s word is sometimes said to be sweeter than honey, e.g., Ps 119:101–103. Cf. also Ps 19:11; Prv 16:24; Ez 3:3; Sir 24:19–22. If you eat honey, my son, because it is good,
if pure honey is sweet to your taste,
14Such, you must know, is wisdom to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.#Prv 23:18.
15#The just will overcome every misfortune that oppresses them. Seven times is an indefinite number. Do not lie in wait at the abode of the just,
do not ravage their dwelling places;
16Though the just fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble from only one mishap.
17#The admonition is linked to the previous by the words “fall” and “stumble.” Premature public celebration of the downfall of enemies equivalently preempts the retribution that belongs to God. Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,
and when they stumble, do not let your heart exult,
18Lest the Lord see it, be displeased with you,
and withdraw his wrath from your enemies.
19Do not be provoked at evildoers,
do not envy the wicked;
20For the evil have no future,
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.#Prv 13:9.
21My son, fear the Lord and the king;
have nothing to do with those who hate them;
22For disaster will issue suddenly,
and calamity from them both, who knows when?
V. FURTHER SAYINGS OF THE WISE
23These also are Words of the Wise:
To show partiality in judgment is not good.#Prv 18:5; 28:21; Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; 16:19.
24Whoever says to the guilty party, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by nations, scorned by peoples;
25But those who render just verdicts will fare well,
and on them will come the blessing of prosperity.
26An honest reply—
a kiss on the lips.#The kiss is a gesture of respect and affection. The greatest sign of affection and respect for another is to tell that person the truth.
27Complete your outdoor tasks,
and arrange your work in the field;
afterward you can build your house.#House: can refer to both the building and the family (cf. 2 Sm 7). In the context established by the placement noted above under 24:23, the saying means that neglect of one’s field is a sign that one is not building the house properly. In an agricultural society especially, the concept of household includes fields for animals and crops. On the metaphorical level, one must lay a careful preparation before embarking on a great project. This verse is sometimes interpreted as advocating careful and practical preparation for marriage.
28Do not testify falsely against your neighbor#Prv 19:5; 25:18.
and so deceive with your lips.
29Do not say, “As they did to me, so will I do to them;#Prv 20:22.
I will repay them according to their deeds.”#Retribution is a long and complex process that belongs to the Lord, not to individuals. Cf. vv. 12d, 17–18.
30#Neglect of one’s fields through laziness ruins all plans to build a house (v. 27). This vignette is a teaching story, like those in 7:1–27; Ps 37:35–36. I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of one with no sense;
31It was all overgrown with thistles;
its surface was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall broken down.
32As I gazed at it, I reflected;
I saw and learned a lesson:
33A little sleep, a little slumber,#Prv 6:10–11.
a little folding of the arms to rest—
34Then poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like a brigand.
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