Proverbs 24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
24 Don’t envy evil men(A)
or desire to be with them,(B)
2 for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.(C)
3 A house is built by wisdom,(D)
and it is established by understanding;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wise warrior is better than a strong one,[a]
and a man of knowledge than one of strength;[b](E)
6 for you should wage war with sound guidance—
victory comes with many counselors.(F)
8 The one who plots evil(I)
will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to people.
10 If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.
11 Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.(J)
12 If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t He who weighs hearts(K) consider it?
Won’t He who protects your life(L) know?
Won’t He repay a person according to his work?(M)
13 Eat honey,(N) my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;(O)
14 realize that wisdom is the same for you.(P)
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.(Q)
15 Wicked man, don’t set an ambush,
at the camp of the righteous man;(R)
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous man falls seven times,
he will get up,(S)
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.(T)
17 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,
and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,(U)
18 or the Lord will see, be displeased,
and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Don’t be agitated by evildoers,
and don’t envy the wicked.(V)
20 For the evil have no future;(W)
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.(X)
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(Y)
and don’t associate with rebels,[d]
22 for destruction from them will come suddenly;
who knows what distress these two can bring?
23 These sayings also belong to the wise:(Z)
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.(AA)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”(AB)—
people will curse him,(AC) and tribes will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and a generous blessing will come to them.
26 He who gives an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;(AD)
afterward, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause.(AE)
Don’t deceive with your lips.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”(AF)
30 I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,(AG)
and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(AH)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 LXX, Syr; MT reads one is in strength
- Proverbs 24:5 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads knowledge exerts strength
- Proverbs 24:7 Lit is too high for
- Proverbs 24:21 Or those given to change
Proverbs 24
New Living Translation
24 Don’t envy evil people
or desire their company.
2 For their hearts plot violence,
and their words always stir up trouble.
3 A house is built by wisdom
and becomes strong through good sense.
4 Through knowledge its rooms are filled
with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
5 The wise are mightier than the strong,[a]
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
6 So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
8 A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.
9 The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.
10 If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.
11 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
12 Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
13 My child,[b] eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.
15 Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly,
and don’t raid the house where the godly live.
16 The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
18 For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
19 Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.
20 For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
22 for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the Lord and the king?
More Sayings of the Wise
23 Here are some further sayings of the wise:
It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
24 A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.
25 But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;
rich blessings will be showered on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss of friendship.
27 Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.
29 And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!”
30 I walked by the field of a lazy person,
the vineyard of one with no common sense.
31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
It was covered with weeds,
and its walls were broken down.
32 Then, as I looked and thought about it,
I learned this lesson:
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
