Proverbs 24:23-34
New King James Version
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
(A)It is not good to [a]show partiality in judgment.
24 (B)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have (C)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
27 (D)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
28 (E)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
[b]For would you deceive with your lips?
29 (F)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (G)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (H)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (I)So shall your poverty come like [c]a prowler,
And your need like [d]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit. recognize faces
- Proverbs 24:28 LXX, Vg. Do not deceive
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Proverbs 24:23-34
American Standard Version
23 These also are sayings of the wise.
To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous,
Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,
And a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 He [a]kisseth the lips
Who giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare thy work without,
And make it ready for thee in the field;
And afterwards build thy house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause;
[b]And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.
30 I went by the field of the sluggard,
And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,
The face thereof was covered with [c]nettles,
And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I beheld, and considered well;
I saw, and received instruction:
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep;
34 So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:26 Or, kisseth with the lips
- Proverbs 24:28 Hebrew And wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
- Proverbs 24:31 Or, wild vetches
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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