Proverbs 24

1Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.

1Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them:

1Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:

2For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.

2For the purposes of their hearts are destruction, and their lips are talking of trouble.

2For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief.

3By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.

3The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:

3Through wisdom is a house builded; And by understanding it is established;

4And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, <FI>With<Fi> all precious and pleasant wealth.

4And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.

4And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches.

5Mighty <FI>is<Fi> the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,

5A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater.

5A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might.

6For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance <FI>is<Fi> in a multitude of counsellors.

6For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.

6For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war; And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7Wisdom <FI>is<Fi> high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.

7Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.

7Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate.

8Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts.

8He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs.

8He that deviseth to do evil, Men shall call him a mischief-maker.

9The thought of folly <FI>is<Fi> sin, And an abomination to man <FI>is<Fi> a scorner.

9The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.

9The thought of foolishness is sin; And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,

10If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small.

10If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.

11If <FI>from<Fi> delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter--thou keepest back.

11Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction.

11Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back.

12When thou sayest, `Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.

12If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?

12If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not 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?

13Eat my son, honey that <FI>is<Fi> good, And the honeycomb--sweet to thy palate.

13My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:

13My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:

14So <FI>is<Fi> the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.

14So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

14So 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.

15Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting-place.

15Do not keep a secret watch, O evil-doer, against the fields of the upright man, or send destruction on his resting-place:

15Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting-place:

16For seven <FI>times<Fi> doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.

16For an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again: but trouble is the downfall of the evil.

16For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

17In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,

17Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:

17Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;

18Lest Jehovah see, and <FI>it be<Fi> evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.

18For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.

18Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him.

19Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked,

19Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners:

19Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked:

20For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

20For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.

20For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

21Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,

21My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:

21My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; And company not with them that are given to change:

22For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both--who knoweth!

22For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?

22For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it?

23These also are for the wise: --To discern faces in judgment is not good.

23These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.

23These also aresayingsof the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.

24Whoso is saying to the wicked, `Thou <FI>art<Fi> righteous,' Peoples execrate him--nations abhor him.

24He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.

24He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;

25And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.

25But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.

25But to them that rebukehim shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them.

26Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.

26He gives a kiss with his lips who gives a right answer.

26He kisseth the lips Who giveth a right answer.

27Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field--go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.

27Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.

27Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field; And afterwards build thy house.

28Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.

28Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.

28Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; And deceive not with thy lips.

29Say not, `As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'

29Say not, I will do to him as he has done to me; I will give the man the reward of his work.

29Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.

30Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.

30I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;

30I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31And lo, it hath gone up--all of it--thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down.

31And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.

31And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32And I see--I--I do set my heart, I have seen--I have received instruction,

32Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.

32Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction:

33A little sleep--a little slumber--A little folding of the hands to lie down.

33A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:

33Yeta little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;

34And thy poverty hath come <FI>as<Fi> a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!

34So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.

34So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.