Beginning
My Son, Fear Yahweh
24 Do not be (A)jealous of evil men,
And do not desire to (B)be with them;
2 For their heart meditates on (C)destruction,
And their lips (D)talk of mischief.
3 (E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by discernment it is firmly established;
4 And by knowledge the rooms are (F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A (G)wise man is [a]strong,
And a man of knowledge strengthens his power.
6 For (H)by guidance you will make war,
And (I)in abundance of counselors there is salvation.
8 One who (L)deliberately thinks to do evil,
Men will call a [b]schemer.
9 The (M)scheming of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (N)are slack in the day of trouble,
Your strength is in trouble.
11 (O)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He (P)who weighs the hearts (Q)understand?
And (R)does not He who (S)guards your soul know?
And will not He [c](T)render to man according to his work?
13 Eat (U)honey, my son, for it is good,
Indeed, the (V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that (W)wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [d](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 (Y)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the abode of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (Z)righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the (AA)wicked will stumble in [e]calamity.
17 When your enemy falls, (AB)do not be glad,
And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
18 Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,
And turn His anger away from him.
19 (AC)Do not fret because of evildoers
Do not be (AD)jealous of the wicked;
20 For (AE)there will be no [f](AF)future for the evil one;
The (AG)lamp of the wicked will go out.
21 My son, [g](AH)fear Yahweh and the king;
Do not associate with those who change,
22 For suddenly their (AI)disaster will rise,
And who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them?
23 These also are (AJ)sayings of the wise.
To [h](AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He (AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will be indignant with him;
25 But (AN)to those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who responds with right words.
27 Establish your work outside
And (AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
And afterwards, you shall build your house.
28 Do not be a (AP)witness against your neighbor without cause,
Nor (AQ)deceive with your lips.
29 (AR)Do not say, “As he did to me so I shall do to him;
I will [i]render to the man according to his work.”
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man (AS)lacking a heart of wisdom,
31 And behold, it was completely [j](AT)overgrown with thistles;
[k](AU)Nettles have covered its surface,
And its stone (AV)wall has been torn down.
32 And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
33 “(AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [l]a robber
And your want like [m]an armed man.
Analogies of Wisdom
25 These also are (AX)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.
2 It is the glory of God to (AY)conceal a matter,
But the glory of (AZ)kings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the (BA)dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the (BB)smith;
5 Take away the (BC)wicked before the king,
And his (BD)throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,
And in the place of great men do not stand;
7 For (BE)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out (BF)hastily to plead your case;
Lest, what will you do in [n]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 (BG)Plead your case with your neighbor,
And (BH)do not reveal the secret of another,
10 Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,
And the bad report about you will not turn away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a (BI)word spoken in [o]right circumstances.
12 Like [p]an (BJ)earring of gold and an (BK)ornament of (BL)fine gold
Is a wise reprover to a (BM)listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the [q]time of harvest
Is a (BN)faithful envoy to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like (BO)clouds and (BP)wind without rain
Is a man who boasts [r]of his gifts falsely.
15 (BQ)When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you (BR)found honey? Eat only enough for you,
Lest you have more than your fill and vomit it.
17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he have more than his fill of you and hate you.
18 Like a club and a (BS)sword and a sharp (BT)arrow
Is a man who bears [s](BU)false witness against his neighbor.
19 Like [t]an aching tooth and a slipping foot
Is trust in a (BV)treacherous man in a day of distress.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on [u]soda,
Is he who sings songs to [v]an aching heart.
21 (BW)If [w]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will [x]heap burning coals on his head,
And (BX)Yahweh will repay you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
And a (BY)tongue of secrets, an indignant face.
24 It is (BZ)better to live in a corner of the roof
Than [y]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is a (CA)good report from a distant land.
26 Like a (CB)muddied spring and a corrupted well
Is a righteous man shaking before the wicked.
27 To eat too much honey is not good,
Nor is it glory to (CC)search out [z]one’s own glory.
28 Like a (CD)city that is broken into and without a wall
Is a man (CE)without restraint over his spirit.
26 Like snow in summer and like (CF)rain in harvest,
So glory is not (CG)fitting for a fool.
2 Like a (CH)sparrow in its [aa]flitting, like a swallow in flying,
So a (CI)curse without cause does not come to pass.
3 A (CJ)whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a (CK)rod for the back of fools.
4 (CL)Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you yourself also be like him.
5 (CM)Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be (CN)wise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence
Who sends words by the hand of a fool.
7 Like the legs which hang limp on the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like [ab]one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is he who gives glory to a fool.
9 Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 [ac]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
11 Like (CO)a dog that returns to its vomit
Is a fool who (CP)repeats [ad]his folly.
12 Do you see a man (CQ)wise in his own eyes?
(CR)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The (CS)sluggard says, “There is a fierce lion in the road!
A lion is [ae]among the streets!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the (CT)sluggard on his bed.
15 The (CU)sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is too weary to return it to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is (CV)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.
17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about (CW)strife not belonging to him.
18 Like a madman who shoots
(CX)Firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 So is the man who (CY)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “(CZ)Am I not joking?”
20 With no wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no (DA)whisperer, (DB)strife quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a (DC)contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The (DD)words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
23 Like an earthen (DE)vessel overlaid with silver (DF)dross
Are fiery lips and an evil heart.
24 He who (DG)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he sets up (DH)deceit within himself.
25 When he (DI)makes his voice gracious, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred (DJ)covers itself with guile,
His evil will be (DK)revealed in the assembly.
27 He who (DL)digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will turn back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates [af]those it crushes,
And a (DM)flattering mouth works ruin.
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