Proverbs 24
New American Standard Bible 1995
Precepts and Warnings
24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to (B)be with them;
2 For their [a]minds devise (C)violence,
And their lips (D)talk of trouble.
3 (E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge the rooms are (F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A (G)wise man is [b]strong,
And a man of knowledge [c]increases power.
6 For (H)by wise guidance you will [d]wage war,
And (I)in abundance of counselors there is victory.
8 One who (L)plans to do evil,
Men will call a [e]schemer.
9 The (M)devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (N)are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.
11 (O)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not (P)consider it (Q)who weighs the hearts?
And (R)does He not know it who (S)keeps your soul?
And will He not [f](T)render to man according to his work?
13 My son, eat (U)honey, for it is good,
Yes, 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 [g](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 (Y)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling 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 stumble in time of calamity.
17 (AB)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the Lord will see it and [h]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
19 (AC)Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be (AD)envious of the wicked;
20 For (AE)there will be no [i](AF)future for the evil man;
The (AG)lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, [j](AH)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their (AI)calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
23 These also are (AJ)sayings of the wise.
To [k](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 abhor him;
25 But (AN)to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who gives [l]a right answer.
27 Prepare your work outside
And (AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.
28 Do not be a (AP)witness against your neighbor without cause,
And (AQ)do not deceive with your lips.
29 (AR)Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will [m]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 [n]sense,
31 And behold, it was completely (AT)overgrown with thistles;
Its surface was covered with [o](AU)nettles,
And its stone (AV)wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I [p]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 “(AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [q]a robber
And your want like [r]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:2 Lit hearts
- Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
- Proverbs 24:5 Lit strengthens power
- Proverbs 24:6 Lit make battle for yourself
- Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
- Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 24:21 Or reverence
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
- Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
- Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
- Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
- Proverbs 24:31 I.e. a kind of weed
- Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
- Proverbs 24:34 Or a vagabond; lit one who walks
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield
Proverbs 25
New American Standard Bible 1995
Similitudes, Instructions
25 These also are (A)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.
2 It is the glory of God to (B)conceal a matter,
But the glory of (C)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 (D)dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the (E)smith;
5 Take away the (F)wicked before the king,
And his (G)throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of great men;
7 For (H)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out (I)hastily to [a]argue your case;
[b]Otherwise, what will you do in [c]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 [d](J)Argue your case with your neighbor,
And (K)do not reveal the secret of another,
10 Or he who hears it will reproach you,
And the evil report about you will not [e]pass away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a (L)word spoken in [f]right circumstances.
12 Like [g]an (M)earring of gold and an (N)ornament of (O)fine gold
Is a wise reprover to a (P)listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the [h]time of harvest
Is a (Q)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like (R)clouds and (S)wind without rain
Is a man who boasts [i]of his gifts falsely.
15 By [j](T)forbearance a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you (U)found honey? Eat only [k]what you need,
That you not have it in excess and vomit it.
17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become [l]weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a club and a (V)sword and a sharp (W)arrow
Is a man who bears (X)false witness against his neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth and [m]an unsteady foot
Is confidence in a (Y)faithless man in time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on [n]soda,
Is he who sings songs to [o]a troubled heart.
21 (Z)If [p]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will [q]heap burning coals on his head,
And (AA)the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
And a [r](AB)backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
24 It is (AC)better to live in a corner of the roof
Than [s]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is (AD)good news from a distant land.
26 Like a (AE)trampled spring and a [t]polluted well
Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to (AF)search out [u]one’s own glory.
28 Like a (AG)city that is broken into and without walls
Is a man (AH)who has no control over his spirit.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit contend
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit Lest
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit its
- Proverbs 25:9 Lit Contend
- Proverbs 25:10 Lit return
- Proverbs 25:11 Lit its
- Proverbs 25:12 Or a nose ring
- Proverbs 25:13 Lit day
- Proverbs 25:14 Lit in a gift of falsehood
- Proverbs 25:15 Lit length of anger
- Proverbs 25:16 Lit your sufficiency
- Proverbs 25:17 Lit surfeited with
- Proverbs 25:19 Lit a slipping foot
- Proverbs 25:20 I.e. natron
- Proverbs 25:20 Lit an evil
- Proverbs 25:21 Lit one who hates you
- Proverbs 25:22 Lit snatch up
- Proverbs 25:23 Lit tongue of secrecy
- Proverbs 25:24 Lit with a woman of contentions and a house of association
- Proverbs 25:26 Lit ruined
- Proverbs 25:27 Lit their
Proverbs 26
New American Standard Bible 1995
Similitudes, Instructions
26 Like snow in summer and like (A)rain in harvest,
So honor is not (B)fitting for a fool.
2 Like a (C)sparrow in its [a]flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
So a (D)curse without cause does not [b]alight.
3 A (E)whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a (F)rod for the back of fools.
4 (G)Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 (H)Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be (I)wise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence
Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7 Like the legs which [c]are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like [d]one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn which [e]falls into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 [f]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
11 Like (J)a dog that returns to its vomit
Is a fool who (K)repeats [g]his folly.
12 Do you see a man (L)wise in his own eyes?
(M)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The (N)sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
A lion is [h]in the open square!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the (O)sluggard on his bed.
15 The (P)sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16 The sluggard is (Q)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can [i]give a discreet answer.
17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and [j]meddles with (R)strife not belonging to him.
18 Like a madman who throws
(S)Firebrands, arrows and death,
19 So is the man who (T)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “(U)Was I not joking?”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no (V)whisperer, (W)contention quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a (X)contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The (Y)words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the [k]innermost parts of the body.
23 Like an earthen (Z)vessel overlaid with silver (AA)dross
Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
24 He who (AB)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he lays up (AC)deceit in his [l]heart.
25 When [m]he (AD)speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred (AE)covers itself with guile,
His wickedness will be (AF)revealed before the assembly.
27 He who (AG)digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates [n]those it crushes,
And a (AH)flattering mouth works ruin.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:2 Lit wandering
- Proverbs 26:2 Lit come
- Proverbs 26:7 Lit hang down from
- Proverbs 26:8 Lit the binding of
- Proverbs 26:9 Lit goes up
- Proverbs 26:10 Or A master workman produces all things, But he who hires a fool is like one who hires those who pass by
- Proverbs 26:11 Lit with his
- Proverbs 26:13 Lit within
- Proverbs 26:16 Lit return discreetly
- Proverbs 26:17 Lit infuriates himself
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit chambers of the belly
- Proverbs 26:24 Lit inward part
- Proverbs 26:25 Lit his voice is gracious
- Proverbs 26:28 Lit its crushed ones
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
