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23 
These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 
He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him;
25 
But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 
He kisses the lips [and wins the hearts of people]
Who gives a right and straightforward answer.

27 
Prepare your work outside
And get it ready for yourself in the field;
[a]Afterward build your house and establish a home.

28 
Do not be a witness against your [b]neighbor without cause,
And do not deceive with your lips [speak neither lies nor half-truths].(A)
29 
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for his deed.”(B)

30 
I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;
31 
And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.
32 
When I saw, I considered it well;
I looked and received instruction.
33 
“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],”
34 
Then your poverty will come as a robber,
And your want like an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:27 Establishing your priorities and proceeding in an orderly manner brings its own reward.
  2. Proverbs 24:28 I.e. anyone who comes into your life, not necessarily one who lives nearby.

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