⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff^(Q)
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand^(R) in the judgment,^(S)
    nor sinners in the assembly^(T) of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over^(U) the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.^(V)

To show partiality^(B) in judging is not good:^(C)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”^(D)
    will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
²⁵ But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
    and rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶ An honest answer
    is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷ Put your outdoor work in order
    and get your fields ready;
    after that, build your house.

²⁸ Do not testify against your neighbor without cause^(E)—
    would you use your lips to mislead?
²⁹ Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
    I’ll pay them back for what they did.”^(F)

³⁰ I went past the field of a sluggard,^(G)
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
³¹ thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
³² I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
³³ A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest^(H)—
³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.^(I)