Proverbs 24:10-26:28

English Standard Version

¹⁰ If you ^(A)faint in the day of adversity,
    your strength is small.
^11 (B)Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
    hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
¹² If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
    ^(C)does not he who ^(D)weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who ^(E)keeps watch over your soul know it,
    and will he not repay man ^(F)according to his work?

¹³ My son, ^(G)eat honey, for it is good,
    and ^(H)the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
¹⁴ Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
    if you find it, there will be ^(I)a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.

^15 (J)Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
    do no violence to his home;
^16 (K)for the righteous falls ^(L)seven times and rises again,
    but ^(M)the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

^17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
    and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
¹⁸ lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
    and turn away his anger from him.

^19 (O)Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
    and be not ^(P)envious of the wicked,
²⁰ for the evil man has no ^(Q)future;
    ^(R)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹ My son, ^(S)fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not join with those who do otherwise,
²² for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
    and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

^(U)Partiality in judging is not good.
²⁴ Whoever ^(V)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
    ^(W)will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
²⁵ but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
    and a good blessing will come upon them.
²⁶ Whoever gives an honest answer
    kisses the lips.

^27 (X)Prepare your work outside;
    get everything ready for yourself in the field,
    and after that build your house.

^28 (Y)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
    and do not deceive with your lips.
²⁹ Do not say, ^(Z)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
    I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

^30 (AA)I passed by the field of a sluggard,
    by the vineyard of a man ^(AB)lacking sense,
³¹ and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone ^(AC)wall was broken down.
³² Then I saw and ^(AD)considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
^33 (AE)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
³⁴ and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

² It is the glory of God to ^(AG)conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to ^(AH)search things out.
³ As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the heart of kings is ^(AI)unsearchable.
⁴ Take away ^(AJ)the dross from the silver,
    and ^(AK)the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵ take away ^(AL)the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his ^(AM)throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
⁷ for ^(AN)it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen
^{8     (AO)}do not hastily bring into court,^[a]
for^[b] what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
^9 (AP)Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another's secret,
¹⁰ lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

^11 (AQ)A word fitly spoken
    is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹² Like ^(AR)a gold ring or an ornament of gold
    is a wise reprover to ^(AS)a listening ear.
¹³ Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
    is ^(AT)a faithful messenger to those who send him;
    he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴ Like ^(AU)clouds and wind without rain
    is a man who ^(AV)boasts of a gift he does not give.

¹⁵ With ^(AW)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue will break a bone.
¹⁶ If you have ^(AX)found honey, eat ^(AY)only enough for you,
    lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
¹⁷ Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
    lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
¹⁸ A man who ^(AZ)bears false witness against his neighbor
    is like a war club, or ^(BA)a sword, or a sharp arrow.
¹⁹ Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
²⁰ Whoever ^(BB)sings songs to a heavy heart
    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
    and like vinegar on soda.
^21 (BC)If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
²² for you will heap ^(BD)burning coals on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you.
²³ The north wind brings forth rain,
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
^24 (BE)It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
²⁵ Like cold water to ^(BF)a thirsty soul,
    so is ^(BG)good news from a far country.
²⁶ Like ^(BH)a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷ It is ^(BI)not good to eat much honey,
    nor is it glorious to ^(BJ)seek one's own glory.^[c]
28 A man ^(BK)without self-control
    is like ^(BL)a city broken into and left without walls.
26 Like snow in summer or ^(BM)rain in harvest,
    so ^(BN)honor is ^(BO)not fitting for a fool.
² Like ^(BP)a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    ^(BQ)a curse that is causeless does not alight.
^3 (BR)A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and ^(BS)a rod for the back of fools.
^4 (BT)Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
^5 (BU)Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be ^(BV)wise in his own eyes.
⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and ^(BW)drinks violence.
⁷ Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is ^(BX)one who gives honor to a fool.
⁹ Like ^(BY)a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.^[d]
11 Like ^(BZ)a dog that returns to his vomit
    is ^(CA)a fool who repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see a man who is ^(CB)wise in his own eyes?
    ^(CC)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
^13 (CD)The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
^15 (CE)The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is ^(CF)wiser in his own eyes
    ^(CG)than seven men who can answer sensibly.
¹⁷ Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws ^(CH)firebrands, arrows, and death
¹⁹ is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”
²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no ^(CI)whisperer, ^(CJ)quarreling ceases.
²¹ As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is ^(CK)a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
^22 (CL)The words of ^(CM)a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
^23 (CN)Like the ^(CO)glaze^[e] covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
^25 (CP)when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are ^(CQ)seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
^27 (CR)Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.