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Proverbs 24
American Standard Version
Proverbs 24
American Standard Version
24 Be not thou envious against evil men;
Neither desire to be with them:
2 For their heart studieth oppression,
And their lips talk of mischief.
3 Through wisdom is a house builded;
And by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge are the chambers filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man [a]is strong;
Yea, a man of knowledge [b]increaseth might.
6 For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war;
And in the multitude of counsellors there is [c]safety.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool:
He openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8 He that deviseth to do evil,
Men shall call him a mischief-maker.
9 The thought of foolishness is sin;
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If thou faint in the day of adversity,
Thy strength is small.
11 Deliver them that are carried away unto death,
And those that are [d]ready to be slain [e]see that thou hold back.
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not [f]this;
Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it?
And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?
And shall not he render to every man according to his work?
13 My son, eat thou honey, for it is good;
And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:
14 So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul;
If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward,
And thy hope shall not be cut off.
15 Lay not wait, [g]O wicked man, against the [h]habitation of the righteous;
Destroy not his [i]resting-place:
16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again;
But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;
18 Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him,
And he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers;
Neither be thou envious at the wicked:
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king;
And company not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
And the destruction [j]from them both, who knoweth it?
23 These also are sayings of the wise.
To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous,
Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,
And a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 He [k]kisseth the lips
Who giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare thy work without,
And make it ready for thee in the field;
And afterwards build thy house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause;
[l]And deceive not with thy lips.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.
30 I went by the field of the sluggard,
And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,
The face thereof was covered with [m]nettles,
And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I beheld, and considered well;
I saw, and received instruction:
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep;
34 So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 Hebrew is in strength.
- Proverbs 24:5 Hebrew strengtheneth might.
- Proverbs 24:6 Or, victory
- Proverbs 24:11 Hebrew tottering to the slaughter.
- Proverbs 24:11 Or, forbear thou not to deliver
- Proverbs 24:12 Or, this man
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, as a wicked man
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, pasture
- Proverbs 24:15 Or, fold
- Proverbs 24:22 Or, of their years
- Proverbs 24:26 Or, kisseth with the lips
- Proverbs 24:28 Hebrew And wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
- Proverbs 24:31 Or, wild vetches
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Saying 20
24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,(B)
and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built,(D)
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)
Saying 22
5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.(F)
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8 Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!(G)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(H)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs(I) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay(J) everyone according to what they have done?(K)
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(L)
Saying 27
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(M)
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat(N) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,(O)
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.(P)
Saying 29
19 Do not fret(Q) because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(R)
Saying 30
21 Fear the Lord and the king,(S) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(T) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:(U)
To show partiality(V) in judging is not good:(W)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(X)
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause(Y)—
would you use your lips to mislead?
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”(Z)
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(AA)
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(AB)—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.(AC)
American Standard Version (ASV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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