Proverbs 24
Modern English Version
Saying Twenty
24 Do not be envious against evil men,
nor desire to be with them;
2 for their heart studies destruction,
and their lips talk of mischief.
Saying Twenty-One
3 Through wisdom is a house built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 and by knowledge the rooms will be filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
Saying Twenty-Two
5 A wise man is strong;
yes, a man of knowledge increases strength.
6 For by wise counsel you will wage your war,
and in multitude of counselors there is safety.
Saying Twenty-Three
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
he does not open his mouth in the gate.
Saying Twenty-Four
8 He who devises to do evil
will be called a schemer of plots.
9 The thought of foolishness is sin,
and the scorner is an abomination to men.
Saying Twenty-Five
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 If you refrain to deliver those who are drawn unto death,
and those who are ready to be slain;
12 if you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
does not He who ponders the heart consider it?
And He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to every man according to his works?
Saying Twenty-Six
13 My son, eat honey because it is good,
and the honeycomb that is sweet to your taste;
14 so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
when you have found it, then there will be a reward,
and your expectation will not be cut off.
Saying Twenty-Seven
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
do not spoil his resting place;
16 for a just man falls seven times and rises up again,
but the wicked will fall into mischief.
Saying Twenty-Eight
17 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 it displease Him,
and He turn away His wrath from him.
Saying Twenty-Nine
19 Do not fret because of evil men,
nor be envious of the wicked;
20 for there will be no reward to the evil man;
the candle of the wicked will be put out.
Saying Thirty
21 My son, fear the Lord and the king;
and do not meddle with those who are given to change;
22 for their calamity will rise suddenly,
and who knows the ruin of them both?
More Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
him the people will curse; nations will abhor him.
25 But to those who rebuke him will be delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Every man will kiss his lips
that gives a right answer.
27 Prepare your work outside,
and make it fit for yourself in the field;
and afterwards build your house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do so to him as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the slothful,
and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 and it was all grown over with thorns,
and nettles covered its surface,
and the stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw, and considered it;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep,
34 so your poverty will come like a stalker,
and your need as an armed man.
Proverbs 24
The Voice
The abuse of alcohol is as ancient as the first batch of Egyptian beer or the first sip of Noah’s wine (Genesis 9:20–21). Its wide availability today has made for binge drinking on college campuses, underage drinking by young teens, drunk driving on city streets, and alcoholic rants and abuse in the home. The sage offers a tragic description of a young man who goes from drink to drink and cannot get his bearings in life. Too many people lose so much life in an alcoholic stupor.
24 Do not envy evil people
or seek their friendship;
2 For they are conniving and violent,
and all they talk about is causing trouble.
3 Wisdom is required to build a house;
understanding is necessary to make it secure.
4 Knowledge is needed to furnish all the rooms
and fill them with beautiful treasures.
5 A wise man possesses great strength,
and an intelligent man knows how to increase it;
6 For with wise guidance, you can wage a successful war,
and with a council of many advisors, you will be victorious!
7 Fools can’t grab hold of wisdom; it’s out of their reach;
they dare not open their mouths in public for no one would listen anyway.
8 Whoever schemes to carry out evil
will be labeled a troublemaker.
9 Such foolish plans are sinful,
and the mocker is deplored by all.
10 If you fall apart during a crisis,
then you weren’t very strong to begin with.
11 Rescue everyone you can of those being taken away and killed,
and hold on to those innocent souls staggering toward their own slaughter.
12 If you excuse yourself, saying, “Look, we didn’t know anything about this,”
doesn’t God, who knows what you are really thinking, understand your motives?
Isn’t your Protector aware of why you aren’t protecting the innocent?
Will He not repay you in kind?
Our world is all too familiar with violence and its victims. It’s easy to look the other way, pretend we didn’t see it, hope it goes away, or live in denial. Perhaps we are numbed to real violence because we are so entertained by the onslaught of it in modern media. But the violence in our homes, across our cities, and throughout the world is very real. Every day someone is beaten, captured, raped, enslaved, shot, robbed, stabbed, or run over. Wisdom calls us to step into those places and help those marching off to their deaths. God knows what we know. He knows what is in our hearts.
13 My son, eat honey—it’s good for you;
the honey that drips from the comb is sweet in your mouth.
14 Know, too, that wisdom is good for your soul:
if you find it, your reward will be a bright future
and an enduring hope!
15 Do not lurk outside the home of the just like a common criminal;
do not tear up the place where he rests.
16 For a good man may fall seven times and get back up again,
but the wicked will stumble around and fall into misfortune.
17 Do not celebrate when your enemies fall,
and do not rejoice when they trip up;
18 Or else the Eternal will know and be upset with you,
and He will release them from His anger.
19 Do not worry when evildoers go unpunished
or be jealous when the wicked seem to prosper.
20 Evil people will have no future;
the life of the wicked will be snuffed out like a candle.
21 My son, fear both the Eternal and His anointed ruler.
It is not wise to associate with those rebelling against them
22 Because disaster can arise from either of them without warning,
and who knows what destruction comes down from both of them?
23 The wise also say,
It is not good for a judge to be partial.
24 When a judge says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”
he will be cursed by all people; he will be hated by nations.
25 But those who reprimand evildoers will be celebrated,
and good fortune will come their way.
26 A straight answer is as precious
as a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your work outside,
and get your fields ready for next season;
after that’s done, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without a reason;
do not give misleading testimony.
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me!
I’ll repay him for what he did!”
30 Once I passed by the property of a slacker,
by the vineyard of a foolish man.
31 You should have seen it! The entire field was overgrown with thorns.
Every inch was covered with weeds.
Even the stone wall was crumbling down.
32 I took a moment to take it all in.
The scene taught me:
33 “A little sleep, a little rest,
a few more minutes, a nice little nap.”
34 But soon poverty will be on top of you like a robber,
need will strike you down like a well-armed warrior.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.