Proverbs 24
New King James Version
Do Not Envy Evil Men
24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 (B)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
6 (C)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
7 (D)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 He who (E)plots to do evil
Will be called a [a]schemer.
9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (F)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11 (G)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not (H)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man (I)according to his deeds?
13 My son, (J)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 (K)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a [b]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
16 (L)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
(M)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and [c]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 (O)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (P)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
(Q)It is not good to [d]show partiality in judgment.
24 (R)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have (S)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
27 (T)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
28 (U)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
[e]For would you deceive with your lips?
29 (V)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (W)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (X)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (Y)So shall your poverty come like [f]a prowler,
And your need like [g]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:8 Lit. master of evil plots
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit. latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit. it be evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit. recognize faces
- Proverbs 24:28 LXX, Vg. Do not deceive
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Proverbs 24
English Standard Version
24 Be not (A)envious of evil men,
nor desire to be (B)with them,
2 for their hearts (C)devise violence,
and their lips (D)talk of trouble.
3 By (E)wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all (F)precious and pleasant riches.
5 (G)A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for by (H)wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in (I)abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is (J)too high for a fool;
in (K)the gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever (L)plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 (M)The devising[a] of folly is sin,
and (N)the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you (O)faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 (P)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,”
(Q)does not he who (R)weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who (S)keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man (T)according to his work?
13 My son, (U)eat honey, for it is good,
and (V)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 (W)a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 (X)Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 (Y)for the righteous falls (Z)seven times and rises again,
but (AA)the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 (AB)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 (AC)Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not (AD)envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no (AE)future;
(AF)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (AG)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?
More Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of (AH)the wise.
(AI)Partiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever (AJ)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
(AK)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 (AL)Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 (AM)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, (AN)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30 (AO)I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man (AP)lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone (AQ)wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and (AR)considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 (AS)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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:9 Or scheming
Proverbs 24
Easy-to-Read Version
— 19 —
24 Don’t be jealous of evil people. Have no desire to be around them. 2 In their hearts they plan to do evil. All they talk about is making trouble.
— 20 —
3 Good homes are built on wisdom and understanding. 4 Knowledge fills the rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.
— 21 —
5 Wisdom makes a man more powerful. Knowledge gives a man strength. 6 Get good advice before you start a war. To win, you must have many good advisors.
— 22 —
7 Fools cannot understand wisdom. They have nothing to say when people are discussing important things.
— 23 —
8 If you start planning ways to do wrong, people will learn that you are a troublemaker. 9 Such foolish plans are wrong, and people have no respect for someone who laughs at what is right.
— 24 —
10 If you are weak in times of trouble, that is real weakness.
— 25 —
11 If you see someone on their way to death or in danger of being killed, you must do something to save them. 12 You cannot say, “It’s none of my business.” The Lord knows everything, and he knows why you do things. He watches you, and he will pay you back for what you do.
— 26 —
13 My son, eat honey; it is good. Honey straight from the honeycomb is the sweetest. 14 In the same way, know that wisdom is good for you. Wisdom will give you something to hope for that will not disappoint you.
— 27 —
15 Don’t be like a criminal who makes plans to rob those who are good or take away their homes. 16 Good people might fall again and again, but they always get up. It is the wicked who are defeated by their troubles.
— 28 —
17 Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be glad when they fall. 18 The Lord will see this, and he might be upset with you and decide not to punish your enemy.
— 29 —
19 Don’t let those who are evil upset you, and don’t be jealous of them. 20 They have no hope. Their light will burn out.
— 30 —
21 Son, respect the Lord and the king, and don’t join with those who are against them, 22 because people like that can quickly be destroyed. You have no idea how much trouble God and the king can make for their enemies.
More Wise Sayings
23 These are also words from the wise:
A judge must be fair. He must not support some people simply because he knows them. 24 The people will turn against a judge who lets the guilty go free. Even the people of other nations will curse him. 25 But if a judge punishes the guilty, then people will be happy with him, and he will be a blessing to them.
26 An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips.
27 First get your fields ready, next plant your crops, and then build your house.
28 Don’t speak against someone without a good reason, or you will appear foolish.
29 Don’t say, “You hurt me, so I will do the same to you. I will punish you for what you did to me.”
30 I walked past a field that belonged to a lazy man. It was a vineyard that belonged to someone who understood nothing. 31 Weeds were growing everywhere! Wild vines covered the ground, and the wall around the vineyard was broken and falling down. 32 I looked at this and thought about it. This is what I learned: 33 a little sleep, a little rest, folding your arms, and taking a nap— 34 these things will make you poor very quickly. Soon you will have nothing, as if a thief broke in and took everything away.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International