Proverbs 24

1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.ss6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.s

11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:s14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.s

19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;s20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.s

21 My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:s22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.s26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.s27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; 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 slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.s33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.s

Proverbs 24

Intelligence Outranks Muscle

1-2 19 Don't envy bad people; don't even want to be around them. All they think about is causing a disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble.

20

3-4 It takes wisdom to build a house, and understanding to set it on a firm foundation; It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.

21

5-6 It's better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need a lot of good counsel.

22

7 Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven't a clue.

23

8-9 The person who's always cooking up some evil soon gets a reputation as prince of rogues. Fools incubate sin; cynics desecrate beauty.

Rescue the Perishing

10 24
If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place.

25

11-12 Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know— Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

26

13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it's good for you— and delicacies that melt in your mouth. Likewise knowledge, and wisdom for your soul— Get that and your future's secured, your hope is on solid rock.

27

15-16 Don't interfere with good people's lives; don't try to get the best of them. No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don't stay down long; Soon they're up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

28

17-18 Don't laugh when your enemy falls; don't crow over his collapse. God might see, and become very provoked, and then take pity on his plight.

29

19-20 Don't bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. Those people have no future at all; they're headed down a dead-end street.

30

21-22 Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders; don't be defiant or mutinous. Without warning your life can turn upside down, and who knows how or when it might happen?

More Sayings of the Wise

23 An Honest Answer
It's wrong, very wrong, to go along with injustice.
24-25 Whoever whitewashes the wicked gets a black mark in the history books, But whoever exposes the wicked will be thanked and rewarded.
26 An honest answer is like a warm hug.
27 First plant your fields; then build your barn.
28-29 Don't talk about your neighbors behind their backs— no slander or gossip, please. Don't say to anyone, "I'll get back at you for what you did to me. I'll make you pay for what you did!"
30-34 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: "A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!"