Proverbs 24  Legacy Standard Bible

^3 (E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by discernment it is firmly established;
⁴ And by knowledge the rooms are ^(F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

⁵ A ^(G)wise man is ^[a]strong,
And a man of knowledge strengthens his power.
⁶ For ^(H)by guidance you will make war,
And ^(I)in abundance of counselors there is salvation.

⁷ Wisdom is ^(J)too exalted for an ignorant fool,
He does not open his mouth ^(K)in the gate.

⁸ One who ^(L)deliberately thinks to do evil,
Men will call a ^[b]schemer.
⁹ The ^(M)scheming of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

¹⁰ If you ^(N)are slack in the day of trouble,
Your strength is in trouble.

^11 (O)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
¹² If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He ^(P)who weighs the hearts ^(Q)understand?
And ^(R)does not He who ^(S)guards your soul know?
And will not He ^[c](T)render to man according to his work?

¹³ Eat ^(U)honey, my son, for it is good,
Indeed, the ^(V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
¹⁴ Know that ^(W)wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a ^[d](X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

^15 (Y)Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the abode of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
¹⁶ For a ^(Z)righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the ^(AA)wicked will stumble in ^[e]calamity.

¹⁷ When your enemy falls, ^(AB)do not be glad,
And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
¹⁸ Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,
And turn His anger away from him.

^19 (AC)Do not fret because of evildoers
Do not be ^(AD)jealous of the wicked;
²⁰ For ^(AE)there will be no ^[f](AF)future for the evil one;
The ^(AG)lamp of the wicked will go out.

²¹ My son, ^[g](AH)fear Yahweh and the king;
Do not associate with those who change,
²² For suddenly their ^(AI)disaster will rise,
And who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them?

²³ These also are ^(AJ)sayings of the wise.
To ^[h](AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
²⁴ He ^(AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
^(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will be indignant with him;
²⁵ But ^(AN)to those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
²⁶ He kisses the lips
Who responds with right words.

²⁷ Establish your work outside
And ^(AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
And afterwards, you shall build your house.

²⁸ Do not be a ^(AP)witness against your neighbor without cause,
Nor ^(AQ)deceive with your lips.
^29 (AR)Do not say, “As he did to me so I shall do to him;
I will ^[i]render to the man according to his work.”

³⁰ I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man ^(AS)lacking a heart of wisdom,
³¹ And behold, it was completely ^[j](AT)overgrown with thistles;
^[k](AU)Nettles have covered its surface,
And its stone ^(AV)wall has been torn down.
³² And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
³³ “^(AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
³⁴ Then your poverty will come as ^[l]a robber
And your want like ^[m]an armed man.