Proverbs 24:17-34

New International Version

Saying 28

¹⁷Do not gloat^(A) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,^(B)
¹⁸or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.^(C)

Saying 29

¹⁹Do not fret^(D) 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.^(E)

Saying 30

²¹Fear the Lord and the king,^(F) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
²²for those two will send sudden destruction^(G) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

²³These also are sayings of the wise:^(H)

To show partiality^(I) in judging is not good:^(J)
²⁴Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”^(K)
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^(L)—
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.”^(M)

³⁰I went past the field of a sluggard,^(N)
    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^(O)—
³⁴and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.^(P)