Proverbs 24-26
Christian Standard Bible
24 Don’t envy the evil(A)
or desire to be with them,(B)
2 for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.(C)
3 A house is built by wisdom,(D)
and it is established by understanding;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wise warrior is better than a strong one,[a]
and a man of knowledge than one of strength;[b](E)
6 for you should wage war with sound guidance—
victory comes with many counselors.(F)
8 The one who plots evil(I)
will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to people.
10 If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.
11 Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.(J)
12 If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t he who weighs hearts(K) consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life(L) know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?(M)
13 Eat honey,(N) my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;(O)
14 realize that wisdom is the same for you.(P)
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.(Q)
15 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;(R)
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,(S)
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.(T)
17 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,
and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,(U)
18 or the Lord will see, be displeased,
and turn his wrath away from him.
19 Don’t be agitated by evildoers,
and don’t envy the wicked.(V)
20 For the evil have no future;(W)
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.(X)
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(Y)
and don’t associate with rebels,[d]
22 for destruction will come suddenly from them;
who knows what distress these two can bring?
23 These sayings also belong to the wise:(Z)
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.(AA)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”(AB)—
peoples will curse him,(AC) and nations will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and a generous blessing will come to them.
26 He who gives an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;(AD)
afterward, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause.(AE)
Don’t deceive with your lips.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”(AF)
30 I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,(AG)
and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber,
and your need, like a bandit.(AH)
Hezekiah’s Collection
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter(AK)
and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.
4 Remove impurities from silver,(AL)
and material will be produced[e] for a silversmith.[f](AM)
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,(AN)
and his throne will be established in righteousness.(AO)
6 Don’t boast about yourself before the king,
and don’t stand in the place of the great;
7 for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.[g](AP)
8 Don’t take a matter to court hastily.(AQ)
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent[h] humiliates you?
9 Make your case with your opponent
without revealing another’s secret;(AR)
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.[i]
11 A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples in silver settings.(AS)
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear(AT)
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.
13 To those who send him, a trustworthy envoy
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.(AU)
14 The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.(AV)
15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.(AW)
16 If you find honey,(AX) eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.(AY)
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;
otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.
18 A person giving false testimony against his neighbor(AZ)
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.(BA)
19 Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.(BB)
20 Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.[j](BC)
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,(BD)
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.(BE)
23 The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 Better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a house with a nagging wife.(BF)
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,(BR)
and a rod for the backs of fools.(BS)
4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness(BT)
or you’ll be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness(BU)
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.(BV)
6 The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand(BW)
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.(BX)
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.
8 Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by[m] the hand of a drunkard.
10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone indiscriminately.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so also a fool repeats his foolishness.(BY)
12 Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes?(BZ)
There is more hope for a fool than for him.(CA)
13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!” (CB)
14 A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.(CC)
15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!(CD)
16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser(CE)
than seven who can answer sensibly.
17 A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,(CF)
19 so is the person who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
20 Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.(CG)
21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.(CH)
22 A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.[n](CI)
23 Smooth[o] lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.(CJ)
24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.
25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven detestable things in his heart.(CK)
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.(CL)
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Footnotes
- 24:5 LXX, Syr; MT reads is in strength
- 24:5 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads knowledge exerts strength
- 24:7 Lit is too high for
- 24:21 Or those given to change
- 25:4 Lit will come out; Ex 32:24
- 25:4 Or and a vessel will be produced by a silversmith
- 25:7 Lit you before a noble whom your eyes see
- 25:8 Or neighbor, also in v. 9
- 25:10 Lit and your evil report will not turn back
- 25:20 Lit natron, or sodium carbonate
- 25:25 Or a weary person
- 25:27 Lit seek their glory, glory
- 26:9 Lit thorn that goes up into
- 26:22 Lit to the chambers of the belly
- 26:23 LXX; MT reads Burning
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
