Proverbs 24
Lexham English Bible
24 Do not envy men of evil,
and do not desire to be with them.
2 For their minds will devise violence,
and their lips will speak mischief.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established.
4 And by knowledge, rooms are filled
with all riches, precious and pleasant.
5 The warrior of wisdom is in strength,
and a man of knowledge is strong in power.
6 For with wise guidance you shall make war for yourself,
and victory is in an abundance of counsel.
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
at the gate he will not open his mouth.
8 He who plans to do evil for[a] himself,
they will call him “master[b] of mischief.”
9 Devising folly is a sin,
and an abomination to humankind is a scoffer.
10 If you faint on the day of adversity,
little is your strength.
11 Rescue those who are led away to the death
and those who stagger to the slaughter. If you hold back,
12 if you say, “Look, we do not know this,”
does not he who weighs hearts perceive it?
And he who keeps your soul,[c]
he knows and will repay humankind according to his deeds.
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the dripping of the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Thus know wisdom for the sake of your soul,[d]
if you find it, then there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home of the righteous;
do not do violence to his dwelling place.
16 For seven times the righteous will fall, but he will rise,
but the wicked will be overthrown by calamity.
17 While your enemies are falling, do not rejoice;
when he trips himself, may your heart[e] not be glad
18 lest Yahweh see and it be evil in his eyes,
and turn his anger away from him.
19 Do not fret because of the evildoers;
do not envy the wicked.
20 For there will not be a future for the evil;
the lamp of the wicked will die out.
21 Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king;
with those who change, do not associate.
22 For suddenly their disaster will come,
and the ruin of both of them,[f] who knows?
23 These sayings are also for the wise:
Partiality[g] in judgment is not good.
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are righteous,” the people will curse him;
the nations will abhor him.
25 But they who rebuke will have delight,
and upon them blessings of goodness will come.
26 He will kiss the lips,
he who gives an honest answer.
27 Prepare your work in the street and get it ready for yourself in the field;
afterward, then[h] you shall build your house.
28 Do not be a witness without cause against your neighbor
nor deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “Just as he has done to me, so shall I do to him;
I will pay back the man according to his deed.”
30 I passed by the field of a lazy person,
and over the vineyard of a person lacking sense;[i]
31 and behold, it was overgrown—all of it was covered with thorns, its surface with nettles,
and its stone wall[j] was broken down.
32 Then I myself saw and my heart[k] considered;
I looked, and I took hold of instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands for rest,
34 and your poverty will come running,
and your lack like an armed warrior.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:8 Or “to”
- Proverbs 24:8 Or “owner”
- Proverbs 24:12 Or “life,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 24:14 Or “life,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 24:17 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 24:22 Literally “the two of them”
- Proverbs 24:23 Literally “acknowledge faces”
- Proverbs 24:27 Hebrew “and”
- Proverbs 24:30 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 24:31 Literally “a wall of his/its stones”
- Proverbs 24:32 Or “mind”
Proverbs 24
Christian Standard Bible
24 Don’t envy the evil(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 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;(R)
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous person 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 will come suddenly from them;
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)—
peoples will curse him,(AC) and nations 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 one 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,
and your need, like a bandit.(AH)
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The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.