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Proverbs 24
Evangelical Heritage Version
Proverbs 24
Evangelical Heritage Version
24 Do not envy evil people,
and do not wish to be with them,
2 because their hearts plan violence,
and their lips speak trouble.
3 With wisdom a house is built.
With understanding it is established.
4 With knowledge its rooms are filled with every kind of riches,
both valuable and appealing.
5 A wise person grows strong,
and a knowledgeable man becomes more powerful,
6 because advice prepares you for battle,
and many advisors bring victory.
8 Whoever plans evil will be called a master schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is a sin,
and a mocker is disgusting to people.
10 If you fail to act in the day of trouble,
your strength is too little.
11 Rescue captives condemned to death,
and spare those staggering toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “We did not know about this,”
won’t the one who weighs motives notice?
Won’t the one who guards your life know about it,
and won’t he repay people according to what each one has done?
13 My son, eat honey, because it is good.
Flowing honey is sweet on your palate.
14 Know also that wisdom is sweet for your soul.
If you find it, then there is a future for you,
and your hope will never be cut off.
15 Do not be like the wicked who attack the home of the righteous.
Do not destroy his resting place,
16 because a righteous person may fall seven times, but he will get up,
while wicked people will stumble into misfortune.
17 Do not be happy when your enemy falls.
Do not let your heart celebrate when he stumbles.
18 If you do, the Lord will see it and consider it evil,
and he will turn his anger away from him.
19 Do not fret about evildoers.
Do not be jealous of wicked people,
20 because an evil person has no future.
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 Fear the Lord, my son, and also the king.
Do not associate with those who are rebellious,
22 because their disaster will take place suddenly.
Who knows what ruin the Lord and the king will cause?
More Words of the Wise
23 These sayings also are by the wise:
To show partiality when administering justice is not good.
24 If anyone says to a guilty person, “You are innocent,”
people will curse him. Nations will denounce him.
25 However, it will be pleasant for those who convict the guilty.
A wonderful blessing will come upon them.
26 Someone who gives a straight answer gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare your work outside,
and get things ready for yourself in the fields.
Afterward, build your house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause.
Do not practice deception with your lips.
29 Do not think, “I will do to him what he did to me.
I will pay the man back for what he did.”
30 I passed by a lazy man’s field
and by a vineyard that belonged to a senseless man.
31 It was overgrown with thistles
and covered with weeds.
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw this, I took it to heart.
I observed and learned a lesson:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a prowler,
and scarcity will come like a warrior.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:7 The translation follows an altered spelling of the Hebrew. The main Hebrew reading seems to be corals.
- Proverbs 24:7 Literally the city gate
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Proverbs 24
New International Version
Saying 20
24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,(B)
and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built,(D)
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)
Saying 22
5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.(F)
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8 Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!(G)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(H)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs(I) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay(J) everyone according to what they have done?(K)
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(L)
Saying 27
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(M)
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat(N) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,(O)
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.(P)
Saying 29
19 Do not fret(Q) because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(R)
Saying 30
21 Fear the Lord and the king,(S) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(T) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:(U)
To show partiality(V) in judging is not good:(W)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(X)
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause(Y)—
would you use your lips to mislead?
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”(Z)
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(AA)
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(AB)—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.(AC)
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.