Pro 24 | NASB1995 | STEP | Do not be envious of evil men , Nor desire to be with them;

Proverbs 24

Precepts and Warnings

1 Do not be ^aenvious of evil men,
Nor desire to ^bbe with them;
2 For their ^{▼▼ Lit hearts}minds devise ^dviolence,
And their lips ^etalk of trouble.

3 ^fBy wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge the rooms are ^gfilled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A ^hwise man is ^{▼▼ Lit in strength}strong,
And a man of knowledge ^{▼▼ Lit strengthens power}increases power.
6 For ^kby wise guidance you will ^{▼▼ Lit make battle for yourself}wage war,
And ^min abundance of counselors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is ⁿ too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth ^oin the gate.

8 One who ^pplans to do evil,
Men will call a ^{▼▼ Or deviser of evil}schemer.
9 The ^rdevising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you ^sare slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.

11 ^tDeliver 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 ^uconsider it ^vwho weighs the hearts?
And ^wdoes He not know it who ^xkeeps your soul?
And will He not ^{▼▼ Lit bring back
,} ^zrender to man according to his work?

13 My son, eat ^aahoney, for it is good,
Yes, the ^abhoney from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that ^acwisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a ^{▼▼ Lit latter end
,} ^aefuture,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 ^afDo not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a ^agrighteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the ^ahwicked stumble in time of calamity.

17 ^aiDo 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 ^{▼▼ Lit it is evil in His eyes}be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

19 ^akDo not fret because of evildoers
Or be ^alenvious of the wicked;
20 For ^amthere will be no ^{▼▼ Lit latter end
,} ^aofuture for the evil man;
The ^aplamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, ^{▼▼ Or reverence
,} ^arfear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their ^ascalamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

23 These also are ^atsayings of the wise.
To ^{▼▼ Lit regard the face
,} ^avshow partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He ^awwho says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
^axPeoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;
25 But ^ayto those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who gives ^{▼▼ Or an honest}a right answer.

27 Prepare your work outside
And ^bamake it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a ^bbwitness against your neighbor without cause,
And ^bcdo not deceive with your lips.
29 ^bdDo not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will ^{▼▼ Lit bring back}render to the man according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man ^bflacking ^{▼▼ Lit heart}sense,
31 And behold, it was completely ^bhovergrown with thistles;
Its surface was covered with ^{▼▼ I.e. a kind of weed
,} ^bjnettles,
And its stone ^bkwall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I ^{▼▼ Lit set my heart}reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 ^bm“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as ^{▼▼ Or a vagabond; lit one who walks}a robber
And your want like ^{▼▼ Lit a man with a shield}an armed man.