Proverbs 24:14-29
King James Version
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
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Proverbs 24:14-29
English Standard Version
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be (A)a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 (B)Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 (C)for the righteous falls (D)seven times and rises again,
but (E)the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 (F)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 (G)Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not (H)envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no (I)future;
(J)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (K)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 (L)the wise.
(M)Partiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever (N)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
(O)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 (P)Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 (Q)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, (R)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
Proverbs 24:14-29
Christian Standard Bible
14 realize that wisdom is the same for you.(A)
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.(B)
15 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;(C)
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,(D)
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.(E)
17 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,
and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,(F)
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.(G)
20 For the evil have no future;(H)
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.(I)
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(J)
and don’t associate with rebels,[a]
22 for destruction will come suddenly from them;
who knows what distress these two can bring?
23 These sayings also belong to the wise:(K)
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.(L)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”(M)—
peoples will curse him,(N) 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;(O)
afterward, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause.(P)
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.”(Q)
Footnotes
- 24:21 Or those given to change
Proverbs 24:14-29
New American Standard Bible 1995
14 Know that (A)wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [a](B)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 (C)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (D)righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the (E)wicked stumble in time of calamity.
17 (F)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 [b]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
19 (G)Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be (H)envious of the wicked;
20 For (I)there will be no [c](J)future for the evil man;
The (K)lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, [d](L)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their (M)calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
23 These also are (N)sayings of the wise.
To [e](O)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He (P)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(Q)Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;
25 But (R)to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who gives [f]a right answer.
27 Prepare your work outside
And (S)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.
28 Do not be a (T)witness against your neighbor without cause,
And (U)do not deceive with your lips.
29 (V)Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will [g]render to the man according to his work.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 24:21 Or reverence
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
- Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
- Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
