New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Don’t envy evil people
or desire their company.

1

Don't Be Envious of Evil Men

Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;

2

For their hearts plot violence,
and their words always stir up trouble.

2

for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

3

A house is built by wisdom
and becomes strong through good sense.

3

Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;

4

Through knowledge its rooms are filled
with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

4

and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.

5

The wise are mightier than the strong,a
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.

5

A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

6

So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.

6

For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7

Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.

7

Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.

8

A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.

8

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.

9

The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.

9

The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.

10

If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.

10

[If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.

11

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.

11

Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.

12

Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

12

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.

13

My child,b eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.

13

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:

14

In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.

14

so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

15

Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly,
and don’t raid the house where the godly live.

15

Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.

16

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.

16

For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.

17

Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.

17

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;

18

For the LORD will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.

18

lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.

19

Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.

19

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:

20

For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

20

for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

21

My child, fear the LORD and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,

21

My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.

22

for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the LORD and the king?

22

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

23

More Sayings of the Wise

Here are some further sayings of the wise:
It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.

23

Further Sayings of the Wise

These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

24

A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.

24

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;

25

But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;
rich blessings will be showered on them.

25

but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.

26

An honest answer
is like a kiss of friendship.

26

He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.

27

Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.

27

Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.

28

Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.

28

Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?

29

And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!”

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 walked by the field of a lazy person,
the vineyard of one with no common sense.

30

I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;

31

I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
It was covered with weeds,
and its walls were broken down.

31

and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.

32

Then, as I looked and thought about it,
I learned this lesson:

32

Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:

33

A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest —

33

-- A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!

34

then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

34

So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Proverbs 24

Proverbs 24