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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Proverbs 24: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 24
24
The Nineteenth Saying
1Don't be envious of evil people, and don't try to make friends with them. 2Causing trouble is all they ever think about; every time they open their mouth someone is going to be hurt.
The Twentieth Saying
3Homes are built on the foundation of wisdom and understanding.#24.3 Homes… understanding; or It takes care to lay the foundations of a house, and skill to build it. 4Where there is knowledge, the rooms are furnished with valuable, beautiful things.
The 21st Saying
5Being wise is better than being strong;#24.5 Some ancient translations Being wise is better than being strong; Hebrew A person is wise in strength. yes, knowledge is more important than strength. 6After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.
The 22nd Saying
7Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.
The 23rd Saying
8If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker. 9Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.
The 24th Saying
10If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.
The 25th Saying
11Don't hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly. 12You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.
The 26th Saying
13Son, eat honey; it is good. And just as honey from the comb is sweet on your tongue, 14you may be sure that wisdom is good for the soul. Get wisdom and you have a bright future.
The 27th Saying
15Don't be like the wicked who scheme to rob honest people or to take away their homes. 16No matter how often honest people fall, they always get up again; but disaster destroys the wicked.
The 28th Saying
17Don't be glad when your enemies meet disaster, and don't rejoice when they stumble. 18The LORD will know if you are gloating, and he will not like it; and then he might not punish them.
The 29th Saying
19Don't let evil people worry you; don't be envious of them. 20A wicked person has no future — nothing to look forward to.
The Thirtieth Saying
21Have reverence for the LORD, my child, and honour the king. Have nothing to do with people who rebel against them; 22such people could be ruined in a moment. Do you realize the disaster that God or the king can cause?
More Wise Sayings
23The wise have also said these things:
It is wrong for judges to be prejudiced. 24If they pronounce a guilty person innocent, they will be cursed and hated by everyone. 25Judges who punish the guilty, however, will be prosperous and enjoy a good reputation.
26An honest answer is a sign of true friendship.
27Don't build your house and establish a home until your fields are ready, and you are sure that you can earn a living.
28Don't give evidence against someone else without good reason, or say misleading things about him. 29Don't say, “I'll do to him just what he did to me! I'll get even with him!”
30I walked through the fields and vineyards of a lazy, stupid person. 31They were full of thorn bushes and overgrown with weeds. The stone wall round them had fallen down. 32I looked at this, thought about it, and learned a lesson from it: 33#Prov 6.10–11have a nap and sleep if you want to. Fold your hands and rest awhile, 34but while you are asleep, poverty will attack you like an armed robber.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.