Proverbs 24
New King James Version
Do Not Envy Evil Men
24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 (B)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
6 (C)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
7 (D)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 He who (E)plots to do evil
Will be called a [a]schemer.
9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (F)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11 (G)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not (H)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man (I)according to his deeds?
13 My son, (J)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 (K)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a [b]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
16 (L)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
(M)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and [c]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 (O)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (P)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
(Q)It is not good to [d]show partiality in judgment.
24 (R)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have (S)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
27 (T)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
28 (U)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
[e]For would you deceive with your lips?
29 (V)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (W)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (X)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (Y)So shall your poverty come like [f]a prowler,
And your need like [g]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:8 Lit. master of evil plots
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit. latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit. it be evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit. recognize faces
- Proverbs 24:28 LXX, Vg. Do not deceive
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Proverbs 24
Common English Bible
24 Don’t envy evil people,
and don’t long to be with them.
2 Their hearts are focused on violence,
and their lips speak of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is established.
4 By knowledge rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise person is mightier than a strong one;[a]
a knowledgeable person than a powerful one.
6 You should make war with guidance;
victory comes with many counselors.
7 Wisdom is beyond foolish people.
They don’t open their mouths in the gate.
8 Those who plot evil
will be called master schemers.
9 The scheming of fools is sin;
people detest mockers.
10 If you show yourself weak on a day of distress,
your strength is too small.
11 Rescue those being taken off to death;
and from those staggering to the slaughter, don’t hold back.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn’t know about it,”
the one who weighs hearts—doesn’t he understand?
The one who protects your life—he knows.
He makes people pay for their actions.
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good.
The honeycomb is sweet in your mouth.
14 Know that wisdom is like that for your whole being.
If you find it, there is a future.
Your hope won’t be cut off.
15 Wicked one, don’t wait secretly at the home of the righteous.
Don’t destroy their dwelling.
16 The righteous may fall seven times but still get up,
but the wicked will stumble into trouble.
17 When your enemies fall, don’t rejoice.
When they stumble, don’t let your heart be glad,
18 or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
and he will turn his anger from them.
19 Don’t get fighting mad at evil people;
don’t be envious of the wicked.
20 Indeed, there is no future for the evil;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 Fear the Lord, my child, as well as the king.
Don’t associate with those who are rebellious.
22 Disaster comes suddenly from them.
Who can know the ruin that both can bring?
More sayings of the wise
23 These are also the sayings of the wise:
Partiality in judgment isn’t good.
24 Those who say to the guilty, “You are innocent”—
the people will curse them.
Nations will condemn them.
25 But it will go well for those who rebuke them.
A rich blessing will come to them.
26 Those who speak honestly
are like those who kiss on the lips.
27 Get your outside work done;
make preparations in the field;
then you can build your house.
28 Don’t be a witness against your neighbor without reason;
don’t deceive with your lips.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to them what they did to me.
I’ll pay them back for their actions.”
30 I happened upon the field of a lazy person,
by the vineyard of one with no sense.
31 Thorns grew all over it;
weeds covered the ground,
and the stone wall was falling down.
32 I observed this and took it to heart;
I saw it and learned a lesson.
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little lying down with folded arms”—
34 and poverty will come on you like a prowler,
deprivation like a man with a shield.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 LXX; MT A wise man is strong.
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
