Proverbs 24
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
24 Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them;
2 For their minds plot oppression and devise violence, and their lips talk of causing trouble and vexation.
3 Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],
4 And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong and [a]is better than a strong man, and a man of knowledge increases and strengthens his power;(A)
6 For by wise counsel you can wage your war, and in an abundance of counselors there is victory and safety.
7 Wisdom is too high for a [b]fool; he opens not his mouth in the gate [where the city’s rulers sit in judgment].
8 He who plans to do evil will be called a mischief-maker.
9 The plans of the foolish and the thought of foolishness are sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
11 Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].
12 If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?
13 My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God); destroy not his resting-place;
16 For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.(B)
17 Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown,
18 Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender].
19 Fret not because of evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked,
20 For there shall be no reward for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, [reverently] fear the Lord and the king, and do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knows the punishment and ruin which both [the Lord and the king] will bring upon [the rebellious]?
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To discriminate and show partiality, having respect of persons in judging, is not good.
24 He who says to the wicked, You are righteous and innocent—peoples will curse him, nations will defy and abhor him.
25 But to those [upright judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight, and a good blessing will be upon them.
26 He kisses the lips [and wins the hearts of men] who give a right answer.
27 [Put first things first.] Prepare your work outside and get it ready for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house and establish a home.
28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and deceive not with your lips.(C)
29 Say not, I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for his deed.(D)
30 I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction.
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—
34 So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 Several other texts, including The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament), so read.
- Proverbs 24:7 See footnote on Proverbs 14:3.
Proverbs 24
English Standard Version
24 Be not (A)envious of evil men,
nor desire to be (B)with them,
2 for their hearts (C)devise violence,
and their lips (D)talk of trouble.
3 By (E)wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all (F)precious and pleasant riches.
5 (G)A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for by (H)wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in (I)abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is (J)too high for a fool;
in (K)the gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever (L)plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 (M)The devising[a] of folly is sin,
and (N)the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you (O)faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 (P)Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
(Q)does not he who (R)weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who (S)keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man (T)according to his work?
13 My son, (U)eat honey, for it is good,
and (V)the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be (W)a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 (X)Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 (Y)for the righteous falls (Z)seven times and rises again,
but (AA)the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 (AB)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 (AC)Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not (AD)envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no (AE)future;
(AF)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (AG)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 (AH)the wise.
(AI)Partiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever (AJ)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
(AK)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 (AL)Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 (AM)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, (AN)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30 (AO)I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man (AP)lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone (AQ)wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and (AR)considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 (AS)A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:9 Or scheming
Proverbs 24
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 24
Do Not Be Envious of the Wicked[a]
1 Do not be envious of the wicked
or desire to be in their company.
2 For their hearts scheme of violence,
and their lips speak only of mischief.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is made secure.
4 By knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and desirable riches of all kinds.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man,
and a man of knowledge prevails over one who has strength.
6 For you wage war by wise guidance,
and victory depends on a host of counselors.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
at the city gate he does not open his mouth.[b]
8 Anyone who plans to do evil
earns a reputation for intrigue.
9 The intrigues of fools are sinful,[c]
and men find the scoffer abhorrent.
10 If you lose heart in time of adversity,
your strength will indeed be limited.
11 [d]Rescue those who are being led away to death
and save those who are on their way to execution.
12 If you say, “I do not know this man,”
will he who tests the heart not perceive it?
He who is the guardian of your soul knows it,
and he will repay you as your deeds deserve.
13 Eat honey,[e] my son, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to the taste.
14 In much the same manner
will wisdom be sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope[f] will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait at the home of a righteous man;
do not raid his dwelling.
16 For a righteous man falls seven times[g] and rises again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Do not be glad when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart exult,
18 for fear that the Lord will be displeased at the sight
and withdraw his wrath from your enemy.
19 Do not become outraged about evildoers
or be envious of the wicked.[h]
20 For they will have no tomorrow;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear the Lord and fear the king;[i]
avoid those who rebel against them.
22 For disaster will strike them suddenly,
and who knows what ruin will afflict them and their friends?[j]
Other Sayings of the Wise[k]
23 [l]These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment
is an invidious act.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But those who convict the evildoer will fare well,
and they will be blessed with prosperity.
26 Anyone who offers an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Plan what you want outside
and make everything ready on the land;
once you have done this,
you can go forth and build your house.
28 Never be a witness against your neighbor without good reason
or deceive with your lips.
29 Never say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay him back for what he has done.”
I Passed by the Field of a Lazy Idler . . .[m]
30 I passed by the field of a lazy idler,[n]
by the vineyard of a man without sense.
31 I saw that it was completely overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with weeds,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 And as I gazed at it and reflected,
I drew this lesson from the sight:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a thief,
and want will assail you like an armed warrior.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:1 Evildoers make others envious; every moral teacher must show that, in one way or another, evil does not pay, that it is a pathway to death. Faced with the lure of desires that are easily available but dishonest, they must show the human and spiritual value of good behavior—it is the sole way of approach. The teacher of wisdom devotes himself to this difficult task.
- Proverbs 24:7 Public business was conducted at the gate of the city.
- Proverbs 24:9 The intrigues of fools are sinful: see Prov 1:11-16; 9:13-18. Men find the scoffer abhorrent: because he is arrogant and abusive (Prov 9:7), and a fomenter of strife (Prov 22:10). See also note on Prov 1:22.
- Proverbs 24:11 One who can prove that a condemned man is innocent must try to save him (see Prov 17:15; Isa 58:6-7). [God] knows it: God knows us through and through (see Prov 16:2; 21:2; Ps 94:9-11).
- Proverbs 24:13 Honey: i.e., wisdom, which is the honey of the soul.
- Proverbs 24:14 Wisdom is sweet to the soul by bringing nourishment and healing to it (see Prov 16:24). Future . . . hope: see Prov 23:18; Pss 9:19; 37:37; 73:24; Jer 29:11.
- Proverbs 24:16 Seven times: i.e., many times (see Prov 6:16; Job 5:19 and note). Rises again: the Lord has promised to come to the aid of the righteous (see Pss 34:20; 37:24; Mic 7:8). The wicked stumble into calamity: see Prov 24:22; 4:19; 6:15; 11:3, 5; Pss 1:6; 37:13, 20; 119:155; 146:9.
- Proverbs 24:19 This verse is very close to Ps 37:1; see Prov 23:17; 24:1.
- Proverbs 24:21 Fear the Lord and fear the king: the faithful are to render obedience to the Lord and to civil authority (see Eccl 8:2-5; Mt 18:21-22; Lk 17:4; Rom 13:1ff; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Scripture regards the king as the punisher of the wicked (see Prov 20:8, 26).
- Proverbs 24:22
After this verse, the Greek text adds five verses as follows:
22aA son who keeps the commandment will escape destruction,
for he embraced it willingly.
22bLet no falsehood be spoken by the tongue of the king,
yes, let no falsehood proceed from his tongue.
22cThe king’s tongue is a sword, not some fleshly thing,
and whoever is handed up to him will be crushed.
22dFor if his wrath is provoked,
he destroys men with all their sinews.
22eHe devours men’s bones
and like a flame burns them up,
so that they are not even fit to be eaten by young eagles.
The Greek text then appends here chapter 30:1-14.
- Proverbs 24:23 This is a brief appendix written in the same style and spirit as the preceding collection.
- Proverbs 24:23 To the ancient counsels on respect for justice in trials and on prudence, a new one is added: evil must not be done (see Mt 16:12, 14-15).
- Proverbs 24:30 A splendid lesson about things that would also be a fine popular song.
- Proverbs 24:30 Idler: see note on Prov 6:6.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
