Proverbs 24

English Standard Version

24 Be not ^(A)envious of evil men,
nor desire to be ^(B)with them,
²for their hearts ^(C)devise violence,
and their lips ^(D)talk of trouble.

³By ^(E)wisdom a house is built,
    and by understanding it is established;
⁴by 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,
⁶for by ^(H)wise guidance you can wage your war,
    and in ^(I)abundance of counselors there is victory.
⁷Wisdom is ^(J)too high for a fool;
    in ^(K)the gate he does not open his mouth.

⁸Whoever ^(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.

¹⁰If 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.
¹²If 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?

¹³My son, ^(U)eat honey, for it is good,
    and ^(V)the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
¹⁴Know 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,
¹⁸lest 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,
²⁰for the evil man has no ^(AE)future;
^(AF)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, ^(AG)fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
²²for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

More Sayings of the Wise

²³These also are sayings of ^(AH)the wise.

^(AI)Partiality in judging is not good.
²⁴Whoever ^(AJ)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
    ^(AK)will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
²⁵but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
    and a good blessing will come upon them.
²⁶Whoever 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.
²⁹Do 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,
³¹and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone ^(AQ)wall was broken down.
³²Then 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,
³⁴and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

Footnotes

Proverbs 24:9 Or scheming

Proverbios 24

Nueva Traducción Viviente

24 No envidies a la gente malvada
ni desees su compañía.
²Pues en su corazón traman violencia
y sus palabras siempre traen problemas.

³Una casa se edifica con sabiduría
y se fortalece por medio del buen juicio.
⁴Mediante el conocimiento se llenan sus cuartos
de toda clase de riquezas y objetos valiosos.

⁵Los sabios son más poderosos que los fuertes,^[a]
y los que tienen conocimiento se hacen cada vez más fuertes.
⁶Así que, no vayas a la guerra sin consejo sabio;
la victoria depende de que tengas muchos consejeros.

⁷La sabiduría es demasiado elevada para los necios.
Entre los líderes en la puerta de la ciudad, los necios no tienen nada que decir.

⁸Una persona que maquina el mal
se gana la fama de alborotador.
⁹Las intrigas del necio son pecaminosas;
todos detestan al burlón.

¹⁰Si fallas bajo presión,
tu fuerza es escasa.

¹¹Rescata a los que están injustamente condenados a morir;
    sálvalos mientras van tambaleando hacia su muerte.
¹²No te excuses diciendo: «Ay, no lo sabíamos».
    Pues Dios conoce cada corazón y él te ve.
El que cuida tu alma sabe bien que tú sabías.
    Él pagará a cada uno según merecen sus acciones.

¹³Come miel, hijo mío, porque es buena,
    y el panal es dulce al paladar.
¹⁴Así también, la sabiduría es dulce a tu alma.
    Si la encuentras, tendrás un futuro brillante,
    y tus esperanzas no se truncarán.

¹⁵No estés al acecho frente a la casa del justo
ni ataques el lugar donde vive.
¹⁶Los justos podrán tropezar siete veces, pero volverán a levantarse.
En cambio, basta una sola calamidad para derribar al perverso.

¹⁷No te alegres cuando tus enemigos caigan;
no te pongas contento cuando tropiecen.
¹⁸Pues el Señor se molestará contigo
y quitará su enojo de ellos.

¹⁹No te inquietes por causa de los que hacen el mal
ni envidies a los perversos.
²⁰Pues la gente mala no tiene futuro;
la luz de los perversos se apagará.

²¹Hijo mío, teme al Señor y al rey.
No te juntes con los rebeldes,
²² porque repentinamente les vendrá la calamidad.
¿Quién sabe qué castigo les caerá
de parte del Señor y del rey?

Más dichos de los sabios

²³A continuación hay más dichos de los sabios:

No es correcto mostrar favoritismo al emitir un juicio.
²⁴El juez que dice al perverso: «Eres inocente»,
será maldecido por muchos y denunciado por las naciones.
²⁵En cambio, les irá bien a los que condenan al culpable;
recibirán bendiciones en abundancia.

²⁶Una respuesta sincera
es como un beso amistoso.

²⁷Antes de construir tu casa,
haz tus planes y prepara los campos.

²⁸No testifiques contra tus vecinos sin motivo;
no mientas cuando hables de ellos.
²⁹No digas: «¡Ahora me voy a vengar de lo que me hicieron!
¡Me desquitaré con ellos!».

³⁰Pasé por el campo de un perezoso,
    por el viñedo de uno que carece de sentido común.
³¹Vi que habían crecido espinos por todas partes.
    Estaba cubierto de maleza,
    y sus muros, destruidos.
³²Entonces, mientras miraba y pensaba en lo que veía,
    aprendí esta lección:
³³un rato más de dormir, un poquito más de sueño,
    un breve descanso con los brazos cruzados,
³⁴entonces la pobreza te asaltará como un bandido;
    la escasez te atacará como un ladrón armado.

Footnotes

24:5 Así aparece en la versión griega; en hebreo dice Un hombre sabio es fuerza.

Proverbs 24

New International Version

Saying 20

24 Do not envy^(A) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
²for their hearts plot violence,^(B)
and their lips talk about making trouble.^(C)

Saying 21

³By wisdom a house is built,^(D)
and through understanding it is established;
⁴through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.^(E)

Saying 22

⁵The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
⁶Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.^(F)

Saying 23

⁷Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Saying 24

⁸Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
⁹The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.

Saying 25

¹⁰If you falter in a time of trouble,
    how small is your strength!^(G)
¹¹Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.^(H)
¹²If 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

¹³Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
¹⁴Know 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

¹⁵Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
¹⁶for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.^(M)

Saying 28

¹⁷Do not gloat^(N) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,^(O)
¹⁸or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.^(P)

Saying 29

¹⁹Do not fret^(Q) because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
²⁰for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.^(R)

Saying 30

²¹Fear the Lord and the king,^(S) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
²²for those two will send sudden destruction^(T) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

²³These also are sayings of the wise:^(U)

To show partiality^(V) in judging is not good:^(W)
²⁴Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”^(X)
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
²⁵But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.

²⁸Do not testify against your neighbor without cause^(Y)—
would you use your lips to mislead?
²⁹Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”^(Z)

³⁰I went past the field of a sluggard,^(AA)
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
³¹thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
³²I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
³³A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest^(AB)—
³⁴and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.^(AC)

English Standard Version (ESV)

Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV)

New International Version (NIV)