Proverbs 24
24
1Don’t envy the evil#Ps 37:1; Pr 23:17; 24:19
or desire to be with them,#Ps 1:1; Pr 1:15
2for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.#Ps 10:7
3A house is built by wisdom,#Pr 14:1
and it is established by understanding;
4by knowledge the rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5A wise warrior is better than a strong one,#24:5 LXX, Syr; MT reads is in strength
and a man of knowledge than one of strength;#24:5 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads knowledge exerts strength#Pr 21:22
6for you should wage war with sound guidance —
victory comes with many counselors.#Pr 11:14; 15:22; 20:18
7Wisdom is inaccessible to#24:7 Lit is too high for a fool;#Pr 14:6; 17:16,24
he does not open his mouth at the city gate.#Jb 5:4; Ps 127:5
8The one who plots evil#Rm 1:30
will be called a schemer.
9A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to people.
10If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.
11Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.#Ps 82:4; Is 58:6–7
12If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t he who weighs hearts#1Sm 16:7; Ps 44:21; Pr 21:2 consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life#Ps 121:3–8 know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?#Jb 34:11; Ps 62:12
13Eat honey,#Pr 25:16 my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;#Sg 5:1
14realize that wisdom is the same for you.#Ps 19:10; 119:103
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.#Pr 10:28; 23:18; Jr 29:11
15Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;#Pr 10:9–10
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,#Jb 5:19; Ps 37:24
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.#Pr 14:32; 29:16
17Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,
and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,#Ps 35:15,19; Pr 17:5; Ob 12; Mc 7:8
18or the Lord will see, be displeased,
and turn his wrath away from him.
19Don’t be agitated by evildoers,
and don’t envy the wicked.#Ps 37:1; Pr 23:17; 24:1
20For the evil have no future;#Ps 37:38; Pr 14:11; 16:25
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.#2Sm 21:17; Jb 18:5; 21:17; Pr 13:9; 20:20
21My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,#Mt 22:21; Rm 13:1–7; 1Pt 2:13–14,17
and don’t associate with rebels,#24:21 Or those given to change
22for destruction will come suddenly from them;
who knows what distress these two can bring?
23These sayings also belong to the wise:#Pr 1:6; 22:17
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.#Dt 1:17; 16:19; Pr 18:5; 28:21
24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”#Pr 17:15 —
peoples will curse him,#Pr 11:26 and nations will denounce him;
25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and a generous blessing will come to them.
26He who gives an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;#Pr 20:4
afterward, build your house.
28Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause.#Ex 20:16; Pr 25:18
Don’t deceive with your lips.
29Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”#Dt 32:35; Pr 20:22; Mt 5:39; Rm 12:17,19
30I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
31Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,#Gn 3:18; Pr 20:4
and the stone wall was ruined.
32I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34and your poverty will come like a robber,
and your need, like a bandit.#Pr 6:10–11; 20:13
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 24: CSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Proverbs 24
24
1 Do not imitate evil men, nor desire to be among them.
2 For their mind meditates on robberies, and their lips speak deceptions.
3 By wisdom shall a house be built, and by prudence shall it be strengthened.
4 By doctrine, the storerooms shall be filled with every substance that is precious and most beautiful.
5 A wise man is strong, and a well-taught man is robust and valiant.
6 For war is undertaken in an orderly manner, and safety shall be where there are many counsels.
7 Wisdom is beyond the foolish; at the gate he will not open his mouth.
8 Whoever intends to do evil shall be called foolish.
9 The intention of the foolish is sin. And the detractor is an abomination among men.
10 If you despair, being weary in the day of anguish, your strength will be diminished.
11 Rescue those who are led away to death. And do not cease from delivering those who are dragged away to a violent death.
12 If you would say: "I do not have sufficient strength." He who inspects the heart, the same one understands, and nothing slips past the one who preserves your soul. And he shall repay a man according to his works.
13 My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the honeycomb, because it is so sweet to your throat.
14 So, too, is the doctrine of wisdom to your soul. When you have found it, you will have hope in the end, and your hope shall not perish.
15 Do not lie in wait, and do not seek impiety in the house of the just, nor spoil his rest.
16 For the just one will fall seven times, and he shall rise again. But the impious will fall into evil.
17 When your enemy will fall, do not be glad, and do not let your heart exult in his ruin,
18 lest perhaps the Lord see, and it displease him, and he may take away his wrath from him.
19 Do not contend with the most wicked, and do not be a rival to the impious.
20 For the evil hold no hope in the future, and the lamp of the impious will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king. And do not mingle with detractors.
22 For their perdition shall up rise suddenly. And who knows what ruin will be for each of them?
23 Likewise, these things are for the wise. It is not good to base judgment on knowledge of character.
24 Those who say to the impious, "You are just," shall be cursed by the people, and the tribes shall detest them.
25 Those who argue against the impious shall be praised, and a blessing shall come upon them.
26 He shall kiss the lips, who responds with upright words.
27 Prepare your outdoor work, and diligently cultivate your field, so that afterward, you may build your house.
28 Do not be a witness without cause against your neighbor. And do not mislead anyone with your lips.
29 Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me." I will repay each one according to his work.
30 I passed by the field of a lazy man, and by the vineyard of a foolish man,
31 and behold, it was entirely filled with nettles, and thorns had covered its surface, and the stonewall was destroyed.
32 When I had seen this, I laid it up in my heart, and by this example, I received discipline.
33 You will sleep a little," I said. "You will slumber briefly. You will fold your hands a little, so as to rest.
34 And destitution will overtake you like a runner, and begging will overtake you like an armed man."
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in