Beginning
24 1 (A)Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2 For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lips speak mischief.
3 Through wisdom is an house built, and with understanding it is established.
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong: for a man of understanding increaseth his strength.
6 (B)For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy war, and in the multitude of them that can give counsel, is health.
7 Wisdom is high to a fool: therefore he cannot open his mouth in the [a]gate.
8 He that imagineth to do evil, men shall call him an author of wickedness.
9 The wicked thought of a fool is sin, and the scorner is an abomination unto men.
10 If thou be [b]faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
11 Deliver them that are drawn [c]to death, and wilt thou not preserve them that are led to be slain?
12 If thou say, Behold, we knew not of it: he that pondereth the hearts, doth not he understand it? and he that keepeth thy soul, knoweth he it not? will he not also recompense every man according to his works?
13 My son, eat [d]honey, for it is good, and the honey comb, for it is sweet unto thy mouth.
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul if thou find it, and there shall be an [e]end, and thine hope shall not be cut off.
15 Lay no wait, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoil not his resting place.
16 For a just man [f]falleth seven times, and riseth again: but the wicked fall into mischief.
17 Be thou not glad when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart rejoice when he stumbleth,
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn his wrath [g]from him.
19 (C)Fret not thyself because of the malicious, neither be envious at the wicked.
20 For there shall be none end of plagues to the evil man, (D)the light of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear the Lord, and the King and meddle not with them that are seditious.
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruin of them [h]both?
23 Also these things pertain to the wise, It is not good [i]to have respect of any person in judgment.
24 He that saith to the wicked, (E)Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhor him.
25 But to them that rebuke him, shall be pleasure, and upon them shall come the blessing of goodness.
26 They shall kiss the lips of him that answereth upright words.
27 Prepare thy work without, and make ready thy things in the field, [j]and after, build thine house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause: for wilt thou deceive with thy lips?
29 (F)Say not, I will do to him as he hath done to me, I [k]will recompense every man according to his work.
30 I passed by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man destitute of understanding.
31 And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I beheld, and I considered it well: I looked upon it, and received [l]instruction.
33 Yet a little sleep, [m]a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.
34 So thy poverty cometh as one that traveleth by the way, and thy necessity like an armed man.
25 1 These are also parables of Solomon, which the [n]men of Hezekiah King of Judah [o]copied out.
2 The glory of God is to [p]conceal a thing secret: but the [q]King’s honor is to search out a thing.
3 The heavens in height, and the earth in deepness: and the [r]king’s heart can no man search out.
4 Take the [s]dross from the silver, and there shall proceed a vessel for the finer.
5 Take [t]away the wicked from the King, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
6 Boast not thyself before the King, and stand not in the place of great men.
7 (G)For it is better, that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, than thou to be put lower in the presence of the Prince whom thine eyes have seen.
8 Go not forth hastily to strife, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
9 Debate thy matter with thy neighbor, and discover not the secret to another,
10 Lest he that heareth it, put thee to shame, and thine infamy do not [u]cease.
11 A word spoken in his place, is like apples of gold with pictures of silver.
12 He that reproveth the wise and the obedient ear, is as a golden earring, and an ornament of fine gold.
13 As the cold of the snow [v]in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
14 A man that boasteth of false liberality, is like [w]clouds and wind without rain.
15 A Prince is pacified by staying of [x]anger, and a soft tongue breaketh the [y]bones.
16 If thou have found honey, eat that is [z]sufficient for thee, lest thou be overfull, and vomit it.
17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house, lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee.
18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor, is like an hammer and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble, is like a broken tooth and a sliding foot.
20 He that taketh away the garment in the cold season, is like vinegar poured upon [aa][ab]nitre, or like him that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
21 (H)If he that hateth thee be hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 For thou shalt lay [ac]coals upon his head, and the Lord shall recompense thee.
23 As the Northwind driveth away the rain, so doth an angry countenance the slandering tongue.
24 (I)It is better to dwell in a corner of the house top, than with a contentious woman in a wide house.
25 As are the cold waters to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.
26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked, is like a troubled well and a corrupt spring.
27 It is not good to eat much honey: so to search their own glory, is not glory.
28 A man that refraineth not his appetite, is like a city which is [ad]broken down and without walls.
26 1 As the snow in the Summer, and as the rain in the Harvest are not meet, so is honor unseemly for a fool.
2 As the sparrow by flying, and the swallow by flying escape, so the curse that is causeless, shall not come.
3 Unto the horse belongeth a whip, to the ass a bridle, and a rod to the fool’s back.
4 Answer not a fool [ae]according to his foolishness, lest thou also be like him.
5 Answer a fool [af]according to his foolishness, lest he be wise in his own [ag]conceit.
6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool, is as he that cutteth off [ah]the feet, [ai]and drinketh iniquity.
7 As they that lift up the legs of the lame, so is a parable in a fool’s mouth.
8 As the closing up of a precious stone in an heap of stones, so is he that giveth glory to a fool.
9 As a thorn standing [aj]up in the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 [ak]The Excellent that formed all things, both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth the transgressors.
11 (J)As a dog turneth again to his own vomit, so a fool turneth to his foolishness.
12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [al]more hope is of a fool than of him.
13 The slothful man saith, [am]A lion is in the way: a lion is in the streets.
14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful man upon his bed.
15 (K)The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom, and it grieveth him to put it again to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason.
17 He that passeth by and medleth with the strife that belongeth not unto him, is as one that taketh a dog by the ears.
18 As he that feigneth himself mad, casteth firebrands, arrows, and mortal things,
19 So dealeth the deceitful man with [an]his friend, and saith, Am not I in sport?
20 Without wood the fire is quenched, and without a talebearer strife ceaseth.
21 As the coal maketh burning coals, and wood a fire, so the contentious man is apt to kindle strife.
22 (L)The words of a talebearer are as flatterings, and they go down into the bowels of the belly.
23 As silver dross overlaid upon a potsherd, so are burning lips, and [ao]an evil heart.
24 He that hateth, will counterfeit with his lips, but in his heart he layeth up deceit.
25 Though he speak favorably, believe him not: for there are [ap]seven abominations in his heart.
26 Hatred may be covered by deceit: but the malice thereof shall be discovered in the [aq]congregation.
27 (M)He that diggeth a pit shall fall therein, and he that rolleth a stone, it shall return unto him.
28 A false tongue hateth the afflicted, and a flattering mouth causeth ruin.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.