Precepts and Warnings

24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to (B)be with them;
For their [a]minds devise (C)violence,
And their lips (D)talk of trouble.

(E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are (F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

A (G)wise man is [b]strong,
And a man of knowledge [c]increases power.
For (H)by wise guidance you will [d]wage war,
And (I)in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Wisdom is (J)too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth (K)in the gate.

One who (L)plans to do evil,
Men will call a [e]schemer.
The (M)devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you (N)are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.

11 (O)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not (P)consider it (Q)who weighs the hearts?
And (R)does He not know it who (S)keeps your soul?
And will He not [f](T)render to man according to his work?

13 My son, eat (U)honey, for it is good,
Yes, the (V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that (W)wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [g](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 (Y)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (Z)righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the (AA)wicked stumble in time of calamity.

17 (AB)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the Lord will see it and [h]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

19 (AC)Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be (AD)envious of the wicked;
20 For (AE)there will be no [i](AF)future for the evil man;
The (AG)lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, [j](AH)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their (AI)calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

23 These also are (AJ)sayings of the wise.
To [k](AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He (AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;
25 But (AN)to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who gives [l]a right answer.

27 Prepare your work outside
And (AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a (AP)witness against your neighbor without cause,
And (AQ)do not deceive with your lips.
29 (AR)Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will [m]render to the man according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man (AS)lacking [n]sense,
31 And behold, it was completely (AT)overgrown with thistles;
Its surface was covered with [o](AU)nettles,
And its stone (AV)wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I [p]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 (AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [q]a robber
And your want like [r]an armed man.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:2 Lit hearts
  2. Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
  3. Proverbs 24:5 Lit strengthens power
  4. Proverbs 24:6 Lit make battle for yourself
  5. Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
  6. Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back
  7. Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
  8. Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
  9. Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
  10. Proverbs 24:21 Or reverence
  11. Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
  12. Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
  13. Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
  14. Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
  15. Proverbs 24:31 I.e. a kind of weed
  16. Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
  17. Proverbs 24:34 Or a vagabond; lit one who walks
  18. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield

My Son, Fear Yahweh

24 Do not be (A)jealous of evil men,
And do not desire to (B)be with them;
For their heart meditates on (C)destruction,
And their lips (D)talk of mischief.

(E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by discernment it is firmly established;
And by knowledge the rooms are (F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

A (G)wise man is [a]strong,
And a man of knowledge strengthens his power.
For (H)by guidance you will make war,
And (I)in abundance of counselors there is salvation.

Wisdom is (J)too exalted for an ignorant fool,
He does not open his mouth (K)in the gate.

One who (L)deliberately thinks to do evil,
Men will call a [b]schemer.
The (M)scheming of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you (N)are slack in the day of trouble,
Your strength is in trouble.

11 (O)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He (P)who weighs the hearts (Q)understand?
And (R)does not He who (S)guards your soul know?
And will not He [c](T)render to man according to his work?

13 Eat (U)honey, my son, for it is good,
Indeed, the (V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that (W)wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [d](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 (Y)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the abode of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (Z)righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the (AA)wicked will stumble in [e]calamity.

17 When your enemy falls, (AB)do not be glad,
And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
18 Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,
And turn His anger away from him.

19 (AC)Do not fret because of evildoers
Do not be (AD)jealous of the wicked;
20 For (AE)there will be no [f](AF)future for the evil one;
The (AG)lamp of the wicked will go out.

21 My son, [g](AH)fear Yahweh and the king;
Do not associate with those who change,
22 For suddenly their (AI)disaster will rise,
And who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them?

23 These also are (AJ)sayings of the wise.
To [h](AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He (AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will be indignant with him;
25 But (AN)to those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who responds with right words.

27 Establish your work outside
And (AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
And afterwards, you shall build your house.

28 Do not be a (AP)witness against your neighbor without cause,
Nor (AQ)deceive with your lips.
29 (AR)Do not say, “As he did to me so I shall do to him;
I will [i]render to the man according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man (AS)lacking a heart of wisdom,
31 And behold, it was completely [j](AT)overgrown with thistles;
[k](AU)Nettles have covered its surface,
And its stone (AV)wall has been torn down.
32 And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
33 (AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [l]a robber
And your want like [m]an armed man.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
  2. Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
  3. Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back
  4. Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
  5. Proverbs 24:16 Lit evil
  6. Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
  7. Proverbs 24:21 Or reverence
  8. Proverbs 24:23 Lit recognize a face
  9. Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
  10. Proverbs 24:31 Lit gone up
  11. Proverbs 24:31 A kind of weed
  12. Proverbs 24:34 Or a vagabond; lit one who walks
  13. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield

Precepts and Warnings

24 Do not be (A)envious of evil people,
Nor desire to (B)be with them;
For their [a]minds plot (C)violence,
And their lips (D)talk of trouble.

(E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are (F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

A (G)wise man is [b]strong,
And a person of knowledge [c]increases power.
For (H)by wise guidance you will [d]wage war,
And (I)in an abundance of counselors there is victory.

Wisdom is (J)too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth (K)at the gate.

One who (L)plans to do evil,
People will call a [e]schemer.
The (M)devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to humanity.

10 If you (N)show yourself lacking courage on the day of distress,
Your strength is meager.

11 (O)Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He (P)who weighs the hearts not (Q)consider it?
And (R)does He who (S)watches over your soul not know it?
And will He not [f](T)repay a person according to his work?

13 My son, eat (U)honey, for it is good;
Yes, the (V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that (W)wisdom is the same for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [g](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 (Y)Do not lie in ambush, you wicked person, against the home of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (Z)righteous person falls seven times and rises again,
But the (AA)wicked stumble in time of disaster.

17 (AB)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 Otherwise, the Lord will see and [h]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

19 (AC)Do not get upset because of evildoers
Or be (AD)envious of the wicked;
20 For (AE)there will be no [i](AF)future for the evil person;
The (AG)lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, [j](AH)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not get involved with those [k]of high rank,
22 For their (AI)disaster will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them?

23 These also are (AJ)sayings of the wise:
To [l](AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 One (AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him;
25 But (AN)for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 One who gives [m]a right answer
Kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your work outside,
And (AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterward, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a (AP)witness against your neighbor for no reason,
And (AQ)do not deceive with your lips.
29 (AR)Do not say, “I shall do the same to him as he has done to me;
I will [n]repay the person according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of [o]a lazy one,
And by the vineyard of a person (AS)lacking [p]sense,
31 And behold, it was completely (AT)overgrown with weeds;
Its surface was covered with (AU)weeds,
And its stone (AV)wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I [q]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 (AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come like [r]a drifter,
And your need like [s]an armed man.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:2 Lit hearts
  2. Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
  3. Proverbs 24:5 Lit strengthens power
  4. Proverbs 24:6 Lit make battle for yourself
  5. Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
  6. Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back to
  7. Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
  8. Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
  9. Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
  10. Proverbs 24:21 Or revere
  11. Proverbs 24:21 Or who change
  12. Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
  13. Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
  14. Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
  15. Proverbs 24:30 Lit an idle
  16. Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
  17. Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
  18. Proverbs 24:34 Lit one who moves about
  19. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield