Proverbs 24
24
Precepts and Warnings
1Do not be envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2For their minds plot violence,
And their lips talk of trouble [for the innocent].
3¶Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built,
And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],
4And by knowledge its rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5¶A wise man is strong,
And a man of knowledge strengthens his power; [Prov 21:22; Eccl 9:16]
6For by wise guidance you can wage your war,
And in an abundance of [wise] counselors there is victory and safety.
7¶Wisdom is too exalted for a [hardened, arrogant] #24:7 See note 1:7.fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate [where the city’s rulers sit in judgment].
8¶He who plans to do evil
Will be called a schemer or deviser of evil.
9The devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is repulsive to men.
10¶If you are slack (careless) in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.
11¶Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who stagger to the slaughter, Oh hold them back [from their doom]!
12If you [claim ignorance and] say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs and examines the hearts and their motives?
And does He not know it who guards your life and keeps your soul?
And will He not repay [you and] every man according to his works?
13¶My son, eat honey, because it is good,
And the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14Know that [skillful and godly] wisdom is [so very good] for your life and soul;
If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward,
And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.
15¶Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse. [Job 5:19; Ps 34:19; 37:24; Mic 7:8]
17¶Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles,
18Or the Lord will see your gloating and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from your enemy.
19¶Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Or be envious of the wicked,
20For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21¶My son, fear the Lord and the king;
And do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],
22For their tragedy will rise suddenly,
And who knows the punishment that both [the Lord and the king] will bring on the rebellious?
23¶These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him;
25But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26He kisses the lips [and wins the hearts of people]
Who gives a right and straightforward answer.
27¶Prepare your work outside
And get it ready for yourself in the field;
# 24:27 Establishing your priorities and proceeding in an orderly manner brings its own reward. Afterward build your house and establish a home.
28¶Do not be a witness against your #24:28 I.e. anyone who comes into your life, not necessarily one who lives nearby.neighbor without cause,
And do not deceive with your lips [speak neither lies nor half-truths]. [Eph 4:25]
29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for his deed.” [Prov 20:22; Matt 5:39, 44; Rom 12:17, 19]
30¶I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;
31And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.
32When I saw, I considered it well;
I looked and received instruction.
33“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],”
34Then your poverty will come as a robber,
And your want like an armed man.
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Proverbs 24
24
1Do not envy evil people
or wish you were with them,
2because their minds plot violence,
and their lips talk trouble.
3With wisdom a house is built.
With understanding it is established.
4With knowledge its rooms are filled
with every kind of riches, both precious and pleasant.
5A strong man knows how to use his strength,
but a person with knowledge is even more powerful.
6After all, with the right strategy you can wage war,
and with many advisers there is victory.
7Matters of wisdom are beyond the grasp of a stubborn fool.
At the city gate he does not open his mouth.
8Whoever plans to do evil will be known as a schemer.
9Foolish scheming is sinful,
and a mocker is disgusting to everyone.
10If you faint in a crisis, you are weak.
11Rescue captives condemned to death,
and spare those staggering toward their slaughter.
12When you say, “We didn’t know this,”
won’t the one who weighs hearts take note of it?
Won’t the one who guards your soul know it?
Won’t he pay back people for what they do?
13Eat honey, my son, because it is good.
Honey that flows from the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14The knowledge of wisdom is like that for your soul.
If you find it, then there is a future,
and your hope will never be cut off.
15You wicked one,
do not lie in ambush at the home of a righteous person.
Do not rob his house.
16A righteous person may fall seven times, but he gets up again.
However, in a disaster wicked people fall.
17Do not be happy when your enemy falls,
and do not feel glad when he stumbles.
18The Lord will see it, he won’t like it,
and he will turn his anger away from that person.
19Do not get overly upset with evildoers.
Do not envy wicked people,
20because an evil person has no future,
and the lamps of wicked people will be snuffed out.
21Fear the Lord, my son.
Fear the king as well.
Do not associate with those who always insist upon change,
22because disaster will come to them suddenly.
Who knows what misery both may bring?
Learning from Wise People
23These also are the sayings of wise people:
Showing partiality as a judge is not good.
24Whoever says to a guilty person, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by people and condemned by nations.
25But people will be pleased with those who convict a guilty person,
and a great blessing will come to them.
26Giving a straight answer is ⌞like⌟ a kiss on the lips.
27Prepare your work outside,
and get things ready for yourself in the field.
Afterwards, build your house.
28Do not testify against your neighbor without a reason,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29Do not say,
“I’ll treat him as he treated me.
I’ll pay him back for what he has done to me.”
30I passed by a lazy person’s field,
the vineyard belonging to a person without sense.
31I saw that it was all overgrown with thistles.
The ground was covered with weeds,
and its stone fence was torn down.
32When I observed ⌞this⌟, I took it to heart.
I saw it and learned my lesson.
33“Just a little sleep,
just a little slumber,
just a little nap.”
34Then your poverty will come like a drifter,
and your need will come like a bandit.
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