Beginning
24 Don’t envy evil people.
Don’t try to be friends with them.
2 In their minds they plan cruel things.
And they always talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to have a good family.
It takes understanding to make it strong.
4 It takes knowledge to fill a home
with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 A wise man has great power.
And a man who has knowledge is very strong.
6 So you need the advice of others when you go to war.
If you have many people to give advice, you will win.
7 A foolish person cannot understand wisdom.
He has nothing to say in court.
8 Whoever makes evil plans
will be known as a troublemaker.
9 Making foolish plans is sinful.
And making fun of others is hateful.
10 If you give up when trouble comes,
it shows that you have very little strength.
11 Save those who are being led to their death.
Rescue those who are about to be killed.
12 You may say, “We don’t know anything about this.”
But God knows what is in your mind, and he will notice.
He is watching you, and he will know.
He will pay each person back for what he has done.
13 My child, eat honey because it is good.
Honey from the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to you.
If you find it, you have hope for the future.
Your wishes will come true.
15 Don’t be like the wicked and attack a good man’s house.
Don’t rob the place where he lives.
16 A good man may be bothered by trouble seven times, but he does not give up.
But the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble.
17 Don’t be happy when your enemy is defeated.
Don’t be glad when he is overwhelmed.
18 The Lord will notice and be displeased.
Then the Lord may not be angry with him anymore.
19 Don’t envy evil people.
And don’t be jealous of the wicked.
20 An evil person has nothing to hope for.
The wicked will die like a flame that is put out.
21 My child, respect the Lord and the king.
Don’t join those people who refuse to obey them.
22 The Lord and the king will quickly destroy such people.
Those two can cause great trouble!
More Words of Wisdom
23 These are also wise sayings:
It is not good to take sides when you are the judge.
24 Don’t say that the wicked have done right.
People will curse you, and nations will hate you.
25 But things will go well for judges who punish the guilty.
And they will receive good things from God.
26 An honest answer is as pleasing
as a kiss on the lips.
27 First, you should work outside
and prepare your fields.
After that, you can start having your family.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor for no good reason.
Don’t say things that are false.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll get even with that man.
I’ll do to him what he did to me.”
30 I passed by a lazy person’s field.
I went by the vineyard of a man who had no sense.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere.
The ground was covered with weeds.
And the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I thought about what I had seen.
I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 You sleep a little; you take a nap.
You fold your hands and rest.
34 Soon you will be poor, as if you had been robbed.
You will have as little as if you had been held up.
More Wise Sayings of Solomon
25 These are more wise sayings of Solomon. They were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 God is honored for what he keeps secret.
Kings are honored for what they can discover.
3 No one can measure the height of the skies or the depth of the earth.
So also no one can understand the mind of a king.
4 Remove the scum from the silver.
Then the silver can be used by the silversmith.
5 Remove wicked people from the king’s presence.
Then his government will be honest and last a long time.
6 Don’t brag to the king.
Don’t act as if you are a great man.
7 It is better for him to promote you to a higher job
than to give you a less important position.
Because of something you have seen,
8 do not quickly take someone to court.
What will you do later
when your neighbor proves you are wrong?
9 If you have an argument with your neighbor,
don’t tell other people what was said.
10 Whoever hears it might say bad things about you.
And you might not ever be respected again.
11 The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.
12 The warning of a wise person is valuable to someone who will listen.
It is worth as much as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.
13 A trustworthy messenger refreshes those who send him.
He is like the coolness of snow in the summertime.
14 People who brag about gifts they never give
are like clouds and wind that give no rain.
15 With patience you can convince a ruler.
And a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.
16 If you find honey, don’t eat too much.
Too much of it will make you sick.
17 Don’t go to your neighbor’s house too often.
Too much of you will make him hate you.
18 Anyone who lies about his neighbor
hurts him as a club, a sword or a sharp arrow would.
19 Don’t trust unfaithful people when you are in trouble.
It’s like eating with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot.
20 Don’t sing songs to someone who is sad.
It’s like taking off a coat on a cold day
or pouring vinegar on soda.
21 If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
22 Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.
And the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings rain.
In the same way, telling gossip brings angry looks.
24 It is better to live in a corner on the roof[a]
than inside the house with a quarreling wife.
25 Hearing good news from a faraway place
is like having a cool drink when you are tired.
26 A good person who gives in to evil
is like a muddy spring or a dirty well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey.
In the same way, it is not good to brag about yourself.
28 A person who does not control himself
is like a city whose walls have been broken down.
26 It shouldn’t snow in summer or rain at harvest.
Neither should a foolish person ever be honored.
2 Curses will not harm someone who is innocent.
They are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.
3 A whip is used to guide a horse, and a harness is used for a donkey.
In the same way, a paddle is used on a foolish person to guide him.
4 Don’t give a foolish person a foolish answer.
If you do, you will be just like him.
5 But answer a foolish person as he should be answered.
If you don’t, he will think he is really wise.
6 Don’t send a message by a foolish person.
That would be like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7 A wise saying spoken by a fool does no good.
It is like the legs of a crippled person.
8 Giving honor to a foolish person does no good.
It is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
9 A wise saying spoken by a fool
is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.
10 Someone might employ a foolish person or anyone just passing by.
That employer is like an archer who shoots at anything he sees.
11 A dog eats what it throws up.
And a foolish person repeats his foolishness.
12 Some people think they are wise.
There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road.
There’s a lion in the streets!”
14 The lazy person is like a door that turns back and forth on its hinges.
He stays in bed and turns over and over.
15 The lazy person may put his hand in the dish.
But he’s too tired to lift the food to his mouth.
16 The lazy person thinks he is wiser
than seven people who give sensible answers.
17 To grab a dog by the ears is asking for trouble.
So is interfering in someone else’s quarrel if you’re just passing by.
18-19 A person shouldn’t trick his neighbor
and then say, “I was just joking!”
That is like a madman shooting
deadly, burning arrows.
20 Without wood, a fire will go out.
And without gossip, quarreling will stop.
21 Charcoal and wood keep a fire going.
In the same way, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.
22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.
People take them all in.
23 Kind words from a wicked mind
are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
24 A person who hates you may fool you with his words.
But in his mind he is planning evil.
25 His words are kind, but don’t believe him.
His mind is full of evil thoughts.
26 He hides his hate with lies.
But his evil will be plain to everyone.
27 Whoever digs a deep trap for others will fall into it himself.
Whoever tries to roll a boulder over others will be crushed by it.
28 A liar hates the people he hurts.
And false praise can ruin others.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.