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24 No tengas envidia de los hombres malos,

Ni desees estar con ellos;

Porque su corazón piensa en robar,

E iniquidad hablan sus labios.

Con sabiduría se edificará la casa,

Y con prudencia se afirmará;

Y con ciencia se llenarán las cámaras

De todo bien preciado y agradable.

El hombre sabio es fuerte,

Y de pujante vigor el hombre docto.

Porque con ingenio harás la guerra,

Y en la multitud de consejeros está la victoria.

Alta está para el insensato la sabiduría;

En la puerta no abrirá él su boca.

Al que piensa hacer el mal,

Le llamarán hombre de malos pensamientos.

El pensamiento del necio es pecado,

Y abominación a los hombres el escarnecedor.

10 Si fueres flojo en el día de trabajo,

Tu fuerza será reducida.

11 Libra a los que son llevados a la muerte;

Salva a los que están en peligro de muerte.

12 Porque si dijeres: Ciertamente no lo supimos,

¿Acaso no lo entenderá el que pesa los corazones?

El que mira por tu alma, él lo conocerá,

Y dará al hombre según sus obras.

13 Come, hijo mío, de la miel, porque es buena,

Y el panal es dulce a tu paladar.

14 Así será a tu alma el conocimiento de la sabiduría;

Si la hallares tendrás recompensa,

Y al fin tu esperanza no será cortada.

15 Oh impío, no aceches la tienda del justo,

No saquees su cámara;

16 Porque siete veces cae el justo, y vuelve a levantarse;

Mas los impíos caerán en el mal.

17 Cuando cayere tu enemigo, no te regocijes,

Y cuando tropezare, no se alegre tu corazón;

18 No sea que Jehová lo mire, y le desagrade,

Y aparte de sobre él su enojo.

19 No te entremetas con los malignos,

Ni tengas envidia de los impíos;

20 Porque para el malo no habrá buen fin,

Y la lámpara de los impíos será apagada.

21 Teme a Jehová, hijo mío, y al rey;

No te entremetas con los veleidosos;

22 Porque su quebrantamiento vendrá de repente;

Y el quebrantamiento de ambos,

¿quién lo comprende?

23 También estos son dichos de los sabios:

Hacer acepción de personas en el juicio no es bueno.

24 El que dijere al malo: Justo eres,

Los pueblos lo maldecirán, y le detestarán las naciones;

25 Mas los que lo reprendieren tendrán felicidad,

Y sobre ellos vendrá gran bendición.

26 Besados serán los labios

Del que responde palabras rectas.

27 Prepara tus labores fuera,

Y disponlas en tus campos,

Y después edificarás tu casa.

28 No seas sin causa testigo contra tu prójimo,

Y no lisonjees con tus labios.

29 No digas: Como me hizo, así le haré;

Daré el pago al hombre según su obra.

30 Pasé junto al campo del hombre perezoso,

Y junto a la viña del hombre falto de entendimiento;

31 Y he aquí que por toda ella habían crecido los espinos,

Ortigas habían ya cubierto su faz,

Y su cerca de piedra estaba ya destruida.

32 Miré, y lo puse en mi corazón;

Lo vi, y tomé consejo.

33 Un poco de sueño, cabeceando otro poco,

Poniendo mano sobre mano otro poco para dormir;

34 Así vendrá como caminante tu necesidad,

Y tu pobreza como hombre armado.(A)

24 Don’t envy evil people
    or ·try to be friends [L long to be] with them.
Their ·minds [L hearts] are ·always planning [focused/fixated on] violence,
    and ·they always [L their lips] talk about making trouble [Ps. 37; 73].

·It takes wisdom to have a good family [L By wisdom a house is built],
    and ·it takes understanding to make it strong [L by understanding it is established].
·It takes knowledge to fill a home [L By knowledge rooms are filled]
    with rare and beautiful treasures [31:10–31].

Wise people ·have great power [or are mightier than strong people],
    and those with knowledge ·have [or than those with] great strength.
So you need ·advice [guidance] when you go to war.
    If you have lots of ·good advice [counselors], you will win.

Foolish people cannot understand wisdom.
They ·have nothing to say [L do not open their mouth] in ·a discussion [L the gate; C where the elders make decisions].

Whoever makes evil plans
    will be ·known as [called] a ·troublemaker [master schemer].
·Making foolish plans [Scheming] is sinful,
    and ·making fun of wisdom is hateful [or people despise mockers].

10 If you ·give up [show yourself weak] ·when trouble comes [L on the day of distress/trouble],
it shows that ·you are weak [L your strength is small].

11 ·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] those who are being led to their death;
    ·rescue [L don’t restrain yourself from] those who ·are about [L tottering off] to be killed.
12 If you say, “We don’t know anything about this,”
    God, who ·knows what’s in your mind [evaluates motives; L weighs hearts], ·will notice [L doesn’t he know?].
He ·is watching you [protects/guards your life], and he will know.
    He will reward each person for what he has done.

13 My ·child [L son], eat honey because it is good.
    Honey from the honeycomb ·tastes sweet [L is sweet on your palate].
14 In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to ·you [your soul].
    If you find it, you have ·hope for the [L a] future,
and your ·wishes [hope] will ·come true [L not be cut off].

15 Don’t be wicked and ·attack [ambush; lie in wait at] a ·good [righteous] family’s house;
    don’t ·rob [or destroy] the place where they live.
16 Even though ·good [righteous] people may ·be bothered by trouble [L fall] seven times, they ·are never defeated [L get back up],
    but the wicked ·are overwhelmed by [stumble into] trouble.

17 Don’t ·be happy [rejoice] when your enemy ·is defeated [L falls];
    don’t let your heart be glad when he ·is overwhelmed [L stumbles].
18 The Lord will notice and ·be displeased [L it will be bad in his eyes].
    He may ·not be angry with them anymore [L turn his anger from them; Job 31:29; Ps. 35:15–16; Rom. 12:17–21].

19 Don’t ·envy [get mad at] evil people,
    and don’t be jealous of the wicked.
20 An evil person has ·nothing to hope for [L no future];
    the lamp of the wicked will be ·put out [extinguished].

21 My ·child [L son], ·respect [fear] the Lord and the king.
    Don’t join those people who ·refuse to obey them [rebel].
22 ·The Lord and the king [L They] will quickly destroy such people.
    ·Those two can cause great disaster! [L Who knows the disaster that both can bring?]

More Words of Wisdom

23 These are also ·sayings of [L according to] the wise [22:17]:
It is not good to ·take sides when you are the judge [show partiality/favoritism in judgment].
24 ·Don’t tell [L Those who say to] the wicked ·that they [L “You…”] are ·innocent [righteous];
    people will curse you, and nations will ·hate [despise] you.
25 But things will go well if you ·punish [correct; rebuke] the guilty,
    and you will receive rich blessings.

26 An honest answer is as pleasing
as a kiss on the lips.

27 First, ·finish your outside work [execute/establish your affairs in public]
    and prepare your fields.
After that, you can build your house.

28 Don’t ·testify [witness] against your neighbor for no good reason.
    Don’t ·say things that are false [L deceive with your lips].
29 Don’t say, “·I’ll get even [L As they did to me so I will do to them];
    I’ll ·do to him what he did to me [repay them according to their actions].”

30 I ·passed by [happened upon] a lazy person’s field
    and by the vineyard of someone ·with no sense [L who lacks heart/sense].
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere.
    The ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I ·thought about [took to heart] what I had seen;
    I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 ·You sleep a little; you take a nap [“A little sleep, a little slumber”].
    ·You fold your hands and [L “A little folding of the arms to…”] lie down to rest [6:10].
34 So ·you will be as poor as if you had been robbed [L poverty will come on you like a robber];
    ·you will have as little as if you had been held up [L deprivation (will come on you) like a shielded warrior].

Saying 20

24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
    do not desire their company;
for their hearts plot violence,(B)
    and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)

Saying 21

By wisdom a house is built,(D)
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)

Saying 22

The wise prevail through great power,
    and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
Surely you need guidance to wage war,
    and victory is won through many advisers.(F)

Saying 23

Wisdom is too high for fools;
    in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Saying 24

Whoever plots evil
    will be known as a schemer.
The schemes of folly are sin,
    and people detest a mocker.

Saying 25

10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
    how small is your strength!(G)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(H)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs(I) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay(J) everyone according to what they have done?(K)

Saying 26

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
    If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.(L)

Saying 27

15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(M)

Saying 28

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

Saying 29

19 Do not fret(Q) because of evildoers
    or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
    and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(R)

Saying 30

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

Further Sayings of the Wise

23 These also are sayings of the wise:(U)

To show partiality(V) in judging is not good:(W)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(X)
    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(Y)
    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.”(Z)

30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(AA)
    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(AB)
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.(AC)