Proverbs 24

1Do not envy the wicked;Do not desire to be with them;

2For their hearts talk violence,And their lips speak mischief.

3A house is built by wisdom,And is established by understanding;

4By knowledge are its rooms filledWith all precious and beautiful things.

5A wise man is strength;A knowledgeable man exerts power;

6For by stratagems you wage war,And victory comes with much planning.

7Wisdom is too lofty for an ignoramus;He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8One who lays plans to do harmIs called a schemer.

9The schemes of folly are sin,And a scoffer is an abomination to all.

10If you showed yourself slack in time of trouble,Wanting in power,

11If you refrained from rescuing those taken off to death,Those condemned to slaughter—

12If you say, “We knew nothing of it,”Surely the One who fathoms hearts will discern [the truth],The One who watches over your life will know it,And [God] will pay each person as they deserve.

13My son, eat honey, for it is good;Let its sweet drops be on your palate.

14Know: such is wisdom for your soul;If you attain it, there is a future;Your hope will not be cut off.

15Wicked ones! Do not lurk by the home of the righteous;Do no violence to their dwellings.

16Seven times a righteous person falls and gets up,While the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.

17If your enemies fall, do not exult;If they trip, let your heart not rejoice,

18Lest GOD see it and be displeased,And avert God’s wrath from them.

19Do not be vexed by evildoers;Do not be incensed by the wicked;

20For there is no future for an evildoer;The lamp of the wicked goes out.

21Fear GOD, my son, and the king,And do not mix with dissenters,

22For disaster comes from them suddenly;The doom both decree who can foreknow?

23These also are by the sages:It is not right to be partial in judgment.

24One who says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”Shall be cursed by peoples,Damned by nations;

25But it shall go well with them who decide justly;Blessings of good things will light upon them.

26Giving a straightforward replyIs like giving a kiss.

27Put your external affairs in order,Get ready what you have in the field,Then build yourself a home.

28Do not be a witness against your fellow without good cause;Would you mislead with your speech?

29Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me;I will pay the man what he deserves.”

30I passed by the field of a lazy man,By the vineyard of someone lacking sense.

31It was all overgrown with thorns;Its surface was covered with chickweed,And its stone fence lay in ruins.

32I observed and took it to heart;I saw it and learned a lesson.

33A bit more sleep, a bit more slumber,A bit more hugging yourself in bed,

34And poverty will come calling upon you, And want, like a man with a shield.