Proverbs 24:17-34

New King James Version

^17 (A)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 ^[a]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

^19 (B)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
²⁰ For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹ My son, ^(C)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
²² For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

^(D)It is not good to ^[b]show partiality in judgment.
^24 (E)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 ^(F)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶ He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

^27 (G)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

^28 (H)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
^[c]For would you deceive with your lips?
^29 (I)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, ^(J)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 (K)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
^34 (L)So shall your poverty come like ^[d]a prowler,
And your need like ^[e]an armed man.