Proverbs 24

¹Don’t envy the evil[#24:1 Ps 37:1; Pr 23:17; 24:19]

or desire to be with them,

²for their hearts plan violence,

and their words stir up trouble.

³A house is built by wisdom,[#24:3 Pr 14:1]

and it is established by understanding;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled

with every precious and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise warrior is better than a strong one,[#24:5 LXX, Syr; MT reads is in strength]

and a man of knowledge than one of strength; ,

⁶for you should wage war with sound guidance –

victory comes with many counsellors.

⁷Wisdom is inaccessible to a fool;[#24:7 Lit is too high for; #24:7 Pr 14:6; 17:16,24]

he does not open his mouth at the city gate.

⁸The one who plots evil[#24:8 Rm 1:30]

will be called a schemer.

⁹A foolish scheme is sin,

and a mocker is detestable to people.

¹⁰If you do nothing in a difficult time,

your strength is limited.

¹¹Rescue those being taken off to death,

and save those stumbling towards slaughter.

¹²If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,’

won’t he who weighs hearts consider it?

Won’t he who protects your life know?

Won’t he repay a person according to his work?

¹³Eat honey, my son, for it is good,[#24:13 Pr 25:16]

and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;

¹⁴realise that wisdom is the same for you.[#24:14 Ps 19:10; 119:103]

If you find it, you will have a future,

and your hope will never fade.

¹⁵Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,

at the camp of the righteous man;

don’t destroy his dwelling.

¹⁶Though a righteous person falls seven times,

he will get up,

but the wicked will stumble into ruin.

¹⁷Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,

and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,

¹⁸or the Lord will see, be displeased,

and turn his wrath away from him.

¹⁹Don’t be agitated by evildoers,

and don’t envy the wicked.

²⁰For the evil have no future;[#24:20 Ps 37:38; Pr 14:11; 16:25]

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord , as well as the king,[#24:21 Mt 22:21; Rm 13:1–7; 1Pt 2:13–14,17]

and don’t associate with rebels,

²²for destruction will come suddenly from them;

who knows what distress these two can bring?

²³These sayings also belong to the wise:[#24:23 Pr 1:6; 22:17]

It is not good to show partiality in judgement.

²⁴Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent’ –[#24:24 Pr 17:15]

peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,

and a generous blessing will come to them.

²⁶He who gives an honest answer

gives a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;[#24:27 Pr 20:4]

afterwards, build your house.

²⁸Don’t testify against your neighbour without cause.[#24:28 Ex 20:16; Pr 25:18]

Don’t deceive with your lips.

²⁹Don’t say, ‘I’ll do to him what he did to me;

I’ll repay the man for what he has done.’

³⁰I went by the field of a slacker

and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.

³¹Thistles had come up everywhere,

weeds covered the ground,

and the stone wall was ruined.

³²I saw, and took it to heart;

I looked, and received instruction:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the arms to rest,

³⁴and your poverty will come like a robber,

and your need, like a bandit.