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Proverbs 24
English Standard Version
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
New King James Version
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
The Message
Proverbs 24
The Message
Intelligence Outranks Muscle
19
24 1-2 Don’t envy bad people;
don’t even want to be around them.
All they think about is causing a disturbance;
all they talk about is making trouble.
20
3-4 It takes wisdom to build a house,
and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;
It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms
with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.
21
5-6 It’s better to be wise than strong;
intelligence outranks muscle any day.
Strategic planning is the key to warfare;
to win, you need a lot of good counsel.
22
7 Wise conversation is way over the head of fools;
in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue.
23
8-9 The person who’s always cooking up some evil
soon gets a reputation as prince of rogues.
Fools incubate sin;
cynics desecrate beauty.
Rescue the Perishing
24
10 If you fall to pieces in a crisis,
there wasn’t much to you in the first place.
25
11-12 Rescue the perishing;
don’t hesitate to step in and help.
If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,”
will that get you off the hook?
Someone is watching you closely, you know—
Someone not impressed with weak excuses.
26
13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—
and delicacies that melt in your mouth.
Likewise knowledge,
and wisdom for your soul—
Get that and your future’s secured,
your hope is on solid rock.
27
15-16 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;
don’t try to get the best of them.
No matter how many times you trip them up,
God-loyal people don’t stay down long;
Soon they’re up on their feet,
while the wicked end up flat on their faces.
28
17-18 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;
don’t gloat over his collapse.
God might see, and become very provoked,
and then take pity on his plight.
29
19-20 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
Those people have no future at all;
they’re headed down a dead-end street.
30
21-22 Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;
don’t be defiant or mutinous.
Without warning your life can turn upside down,
and who knows how or when it might happen?
More Sayings of the Wise
An Honest Answer
23 It’s wrong, very wrong,
to go along with injustice.
24-25 Whoever whitewashes the wicked
gets a black mark in the history books,
But whoever exposes the wicked
will be thanked and rewarded.
26 An honest answer
is like a warm hug.
27 First plant your fields;
then build your barn.
28-29 Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs—
no slander or gossip, please.
Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me.
I’ll make you pay for what you did!”
30-34 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones,
and then passed the vineyard of a slob;
They were overgrown with weeds,
thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.
I took a long look and pondered what I saw;
the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:
“A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
with poverty as your permanent houseguest!”
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Saying 20
24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,(B)
and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built,(D)
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)
Saying 22
5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.(F)
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8 Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9 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)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.