Proverbs of Solomon 24 — The Holy Bible

Issues of Life and Death

My son, do not envy evil men,

Neither desire to be with them;

For their heart ponders a lie,

And their lips speak of sufferings.

A house is built with wisdom,

And it is built up with understanding.

Storehouses are filled with perception

From all honorable and good riches.

It is better to be a wise man of strength

And a man having discernment, than to be a man who has a large estate.

War comes with the skill of a commander,

But help comes with the heart of a counselor.

Wisdom and good thinking are in the gates of the wise;

The wise do not turn away from the mouth of the Lord,

But they deliberate with councils;

Death happens to the uninstructed,

And a man without discernment shall die in his sins;

And uncleanness will pollute a pestilent man

In an evil day and a day of tribulation, until he dies.

Rescue those being led into death,

And saw off the bonds of those being cast out; do not spare them help;

If you say, “I do not know this man,”

Know that the Lord knows the hearts of all;

And He who formed every breath knows all things,

Who will render to each man according to his works.

My son, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good,

That your throat may be sweetened.

Thus you shall discern wisdom for your soul,

For if you find it, there will be a good end to your life;

And hope will not abandon you.

Do not bring an ungodly man to the dwelling of the righteous,

Neither be deceived by the full satisfaction of the stomach.

For a righteous man will fall seven times and rise again,

But the ungodly shall weaken in evils.

If your enemy falls, do not rejoice over him,

And do not exalt yourself at his stumbling;

Because the Lord will see this, and it will not please Him,

And He will turn His anger from him.

Do not rejoice in evildoers,

Nor envy sinners;

For there is no future for evil men,

And the lamp of the ungodly shall be put out.

Fear God, my son, and the king,

And disobey neither of them;

For suddenly they will take retribution on the ungodly,

And who will know the punishments of both?

A son who guards the word will be free from destruction,

For he receives it fully.

Let no lie be spoken from your tongue to the king,

And let no lie come from his tongue.

The tongue of the king is a sword and not of flesh,

And whoever it delivers, it will annihilate;

For if his anger is sharpened,

It destroys men with its sinews.

And it devours the bones of men,

And it burns like a flame,

So as to be inedible for the nestlings of eagles.

Now I say the following to you, the wise, to observe,

“It is not good to be partial in judgment.”

He who says about an ungodly man, “He is righteous,”

Shall be accursed to people and despicable to nations;

But those who reprove him shall appear more excellent,

And a good blessing shall come upon them;

And they will kiss the lips that answer good words.

Prepare your works for your going forth,

And prepare yourself for the field;

And walk behind me,

And you shall build up your house.

Do not be a false witness against your countryman,

Neither open wide your lips;

Do not say, “I will treat him as he treated me,

And I shall avenge myself on him wherein he wronged me.”

A man without discernment is like a field,

And a man in need of discernment is like a vineyard;

If you leave it alone, it will remain dry and barren,

Altogether covered with grass and forsaken,

And its stone walls will be razed to the ground.

Afterward, I repented;

I observed that I might choose instruction.

I doze a little, and I sleep a little,

And I fold my arms across my chest a little.

If you do this, your poverty shall go before you,

And want, like a strong runner.