Proverbs 24

Wycliffe Bible

24 Follow thou not evil men (Do not thou follow evil people), desire thou not to be with them.

² For the soul of them bethinketh (on) ravens, and their lips speak frauds. (For their minds think about robberies, and their lips speak lies.)

³ An house shall be builded by wisdom, and it shall be made strong by prudence, (or by understanding).

⁴ [The] Cellars shall be filled in teaching, with all riches precious and full fair. (By knowledge and study, the cellars shall be filled with all precious and beautiful things of riches.)

⁵ A wise man is strong, and a learned man is stalworthy and mighty.

⁶ For why battle is begun with ordinance; and health shall be, where many counsels be. (For battle is begun with forethought; and victory shall be, where there be many plans, or much good advice.)

⁷ Wisdom is high to a fool; in the gate he shall not open his mouth. (Wisdom is too high for a fool to reach; in court/at the city gates, he shall not even dare to open his mouth.)

⁸ He that thinketh to do evils, shall be called a fool.

⁹ The thought of a fool is (a) sin; and a backbiter is abomination of men (and a backbiter is an abomination to everyone).

¹⁰ If thou hast slid, despairest (thou) in the day of anguish, (for) thy strength shall be made less.

¹¹ Deliver thou them, that be led to death (Rescue thou them, who be led to death); and cease thou not to deliver them, that be drawn to death.

¹² If thou sayest, Strongholds suffice not; he that is [the] beholder of the heart, understandeth, and nothing deceiveth the keeper of thy soul, and he shall yield to a man after his works.

¹³ My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; and the honeycomb for it is full sweet to thy throat.

¹⁴ So and the teaching of wisdom is good to thy soul; and when thou hast found it, thou shalt have hope in the last things, and thine hope shall not perish. (And so the teaching of wisdom is good for thy soul; and when thou hast found it, thou shalt have hope unto the end, and thy hope shall never perish.)

¹⁵ Ambush thou not, and seek not (to bring) wickedness in the house of a just man, neither waste thou, his rest(ing) (place). (Do not thou ambush, and do not seek to bring wickedness into the house of a righteous person, nor destroy thou his resting place.)

¹⁶ For a just man shall fall seven times in the day, and shall rise again; but wicked men shall fall into evil. (For a righteous person shall fall seven times in a day, and shall rise up again each time; but the wicked shall fall into evil, and shall never get out of it.)

¹⁷ When thine enemy falleth, have thou not joy; and thine heart have not full out joying in his falling;

¹⁸ lest peradventure the Lord see, and it displease him, and he take away his ire from him.

¹⁹ Strive thou not with the worst men, neither follow thou wicked men. (Argue thou not with the wicked, nor follow thou the wicked.)

²⁰ For why evil men have not hope of things to come, and the lantern of wicked men shall be quenched. (For evil people have no hope in things to come, and the lantern of the wicked shall be quenched.)

²¹ My son, dread thou God, and the king; and be thou not meddled with backbiters. (My son, fear thou God/have thou reverence for God, and the king; and be thou not mixed in, or mingled, with backbiters.)

²² For their perdition shall rise together suddenly (For their perdition shall suddenly rise up, or shall happen), and who knoweth the fall of ever either?

²³ Also these things that follow be to wise men. It is not good to know a person in doom. (And these things that follow also be for the wise. It is not good to know a person whom thou is judging.)

²⁴ Peoples shall curse them that say to a wicked man, Thou art just; and lineages shall hold them abominable. (The peoples, or the nations, shall curse those who say to a wicked person, Thou art righteous; and the tribes, or all the people, shall hold them as abominable.)

²⁵ They that reprove justly sinners, shall be praised (They who justly rebuke sinners, shall be praised); and blessing shall come [up]on them.

²⁶ He that answereth (with) rightful words, shall kiss lips. (Lips shall kiss him, who answereth with upright words.)

²⁷ Make ready thy work withoutforth, and work thy field diligently, that thou build thine house afterward. (Do all thy work outside, and work thy field diligently, and then afterward, thou shalt build thy house.)

²⁸ Be thou not a witness without reasonable cause against thy neighbour; neither flatter thou any man with thy lips.

²⁹ Say thou not, As he did to me, so I shall do to him, and I shall yield to each man after his work.

³⁰ I passed by the field of a slow man, and by the vinery of a fond man; (I passed by a lazy man’s field, and by a foolish person’s vineyard;)

³¹ and lo! nettles had filled all, thorns had covered the higher part thereof, and the wall of stones without mortar was destroyed.

³² And when I had seen this thing, I setted (it) in mine heart, and by ensample, I learned (the) teaching. (And when I had seen this, I put it in my heart, and by example, I learned the lesson.)

³³ How long sleepest thou, slow man? when shalt thou rise from sleep? Soothly thou shalt sleep a little, thou shalt nap a little, thou shalt join together the hands a little, to take rest; (How long sleepest thou, O lazy man? when shalt thou rise from sleep? Truly thou shalt sleep a little, thou shalt nap a little, and then thou shalt join together thy hands a little, and take rest again;)

³⁴ and then thy neediness as a courier shall come to thee, and thy beggary as an armed man.