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Proverbs 24
New Life Version
Proverbs 24
New Life Version
24 Do not be jealous of sinful men. Do not want to be with them. 2 For their hearts make plans to hurt others and their lips talk about trouble.
3 A house is built by wisdom. It is made strong by understanding, 4 and by much learning the rooms are filled with all riches that are pleasing and of great worth.
5 A wise man is strong. A man of much learning adds to his strength. 6 For by wise leading you will make war, and the fight is won when there are many wise men to help you make the plans.
7 Wisdom is too hard for a fool to understand. He does not open his mouth in the gate. 8 He who plans to do wrong will be called a trouble maker. 9 Planning to do foolish things is sin, and the man who laughs at the truth is hated by men.
10 If you are weak in the day of trouble, your strength is small.
11 Save those who are being taken away to death. Keep them from being killed. 12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,” does not He Who knows what is in hearts see it? Does not He Who keeps watch over your soul know it? And will He not pay each man for his work?
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good. Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. 14 Know that wisdom is like this to your soul. If you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 O sinful man, do not lie in wait against the house of the man who is right with God. Do not destroy his resting place. 16 For a man who is right with God falls seven times, and rises again, but the sinful fall in time of trouble.
17 Do not be full of joy when the one who hates you falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he trips. 18 The Lord will see it and will not be pleased, and He will turn away His anger from him.
19 Do not worry yourself because of those who do wrong, and do not be jealous of the sinful. 20 For there will be no future for the sinful man. The lamp of the sinful will be put out.
21 My son, fear the Lord and the king. Have nothing to do with those who are given to change. 22 For their trouble will rise up all at once, and who knows how much both of them will destroy?
23 These also are sayings of the wise. It is not good to show favor in judging. 24 He who says to the sinful, “You are right and good,” will be spoken against by people and hated by nations. 25 But those who speak strong words to the sinful will find joy and good will come upon them. 26 To give the right answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Get your work done outside. Make your fields ready. Then after that, build your house.
28 Do not speak against your neighbor without a reason, and do not lie with your lips. 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me. I will pay the man for what he has done.”
30 I passed by the field of the lazy man, by the grape-vines of the man without understanding. 31 And see, it was all grown over with thorns. The ground was covered with weeds, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 When I saw it, I thought about it. I looked and received teaching. 33 “A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands to rest,” 34 and your being poor will come as a robber, and your need like a man ready to fight.
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Saying 20
24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,(B)
and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built,(D)
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)
Saying 22
5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.(F)
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8 Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!(G)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(H)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs(I) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay(J) everyone according to what they have done?(K)
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(L)
Saying 27
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(M)
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat(N) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,(O)
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.(P)
Saying 29
19 Do not fret(Q) because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(R)
Saying 30
21 Fear the Lord and the king,(S) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(T) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:(U)
To show partiality(V) in judging is not good:(W)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(X)
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause(Y)—
would you use your lips to mislead?
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”(Z)
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(AA)
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(AB)—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.(AC)
Proverbs 24
International Standard Version
Proverbs 24
International Standard Version
Benefits of Wisdom
24 Don’t be envious of wicked men
or wish you were with them,
2 because they[a] plan violence,
and they are always talking[b] about trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
it is made secure through understanding.
4 By knowledge its rooms are furnished
with all sorts of expensive and beautiful goods.
5 A wise man is strong,[c]
and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.
6 For through wise counsel you will wage your war,
and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.
7 Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;
he has nothing to say in court.[d]
8 The person who plans on doing evil
will be called a schemer.
9 To devise folly is sin,
and people detest a scoffer.
10 If you grow weary when times are troubled,
your strength is limited.[e]
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death,
and save those who stumble toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look here, we didn’t know about this,”
doesn’t God,[f] who examines motives,[g] discern it?
Doesn’t the one who guards your soul
know about it?
Won’t he repay each person
according to what he has done?
13 My son, eat honey, because it’s good for you;[h]
indeed, drippings from the honeycomb are sweet to your taste;
14 Keep in mind that wisdom is like that for your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future for you,
and what you hope for won’t be cut short.
15 Don’t lie in wait like an outlaw
to attack where the righteous live;
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times,
he will rise again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls;
don’t let yourself be glad when he stumbles.
18 Otherwise the Lord will observe and disapprove,
and he will turn his anger away from him.
19 Don’t be anxious about those who practice evil,
and don’t be envious of the wicked.
20 For the wicked man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear both the Lord and the king,
and don’t keep company with rebels.
22 They will be destroyed suddenly,
and who knows what kind of punishment will come from these two?
Sayings of the Wise
23 Here are some more proverbs from wise people:
It isn’t good to show partiality in judgment.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You’re in the right,”
will be cursed by people and hated by nations.
25 But as for people who rebuke the wicked;[i]
a good blessing will fall upon them.
26 A kiss on the lips—
that’s what someone who gives an honest answer deserves.[j]
27 First do your outside work,
preparing your land for yourself.
After that, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without a cause,
and don’t lie when you speak.[k]
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him like he did to me,
I’ll be sure to pay him back for what he did.”
30 I went by the field belonging to a lazy man,
by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.
31 There it was, overgrown with thistles,
the ground covered with thorns,
its stone wall collapsed.
32 As I observed, I thought about it;
I watched, and learned a lesson:
33 “A little sleep! A little slumber!
A little folding of my hands to rest!”
34 Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber,
your need like an armed bandit.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:2 Lit. because their hearts
- Proverbs 24:2 Lit. and their lips talk
- Proverbs 24:5 So MT; LXX reads Being wise is better than being strong
- Proverbs 24:7 Lit. in the gate
- Proverbs 24:10 Or undersized
- Proverbs 24:12 Lit. he
- Proverbs 24:12 Lit. examines the heart
- Proverbs 24:13 The Heb. lacks for you
- Proverbs 24:25 The Heb. lacks the wicked
- Proverbs 24:26 The Heb. lacks deserves
- Proverbs 24:28 Lit. don’t deceive with your lips
New Life Version (NLV)
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
International Standard Version (ISV) 
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.