Chapter
Verse

Proverbs chapter 24

English Standard Version

1Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, 2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble. 3By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth. 8Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind. 10If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 12If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? 13My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. 15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; 16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him. 19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, 20for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, 22for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? 23These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.
New International Version

1Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; 2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. 5The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. 6Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. 7Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths. 8Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. 9The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker. 10If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! 11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 12If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. 14Know 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. 15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; 16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 18or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. 19Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, 20for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. 21Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, 22for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
New American Standard Bible

1Do not be envious of evil people, Nor desire to be with them; 2For their minds plot violence, And their lips talk of trouble. 3By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. 5A wise man is strong, And a person of knowledge increases power. 6For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in an abundance of counselors there is victory. 7Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth at the gate. 8One who plans to do evil, People will call a schemer. 9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to humanity. 10 If you show yourself lacking courage on the day of distress, Your strength is meager. 11Rescue those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back! 12If you say, 'See, we did not know this,' Does He who weighs the hearts not consider it? And does He who watches over your soul not know it? And will He not repay a person according to his work? 13My son, eat honey, for it is good; Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; 14Know that wisdom is the same for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. 15Do not lie in ambush, you wicked person, against the home of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; 16For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster. 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, 18Otherwise, the Lord will see and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him. 19Do not get upset because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; 20For there will be no future for the evil person; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not get involved with those of high rank, 22For their disaster will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them? 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. 24One who says to the wicked, 'You are righteous,' Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him; 25But for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. 26One who gives a right answer Kisses the lips. 27Prepare your work outside, And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterward, then, build your house. 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor for no reason, And do not deceive with your lips. 29Do not say, 'I shall do the same to him as he has done to me; I will repay the person according to his work.' 30I passed by the field of a lazy one, And by the vineyard of a person lacking sense, 31And behold, it was completely overgrown with weeds; Its surface was covered with weeds, And its stone wall was broken down. 32When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. 33'A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,' 34Then your poverty will come like a drifter, And your need like an armed man.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. 3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. 8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. 9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. 11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? 13My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off. 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; 16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. 19 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; 20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

What does Proverbs chapter 24 mean?

This continues Solomon's record of thirty wise sayings (Proverbs 22:17–21). It's important for godly people to avoid jealousy towards sinful people. True success is found in wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), leading to strength and a good reputation. Also crucial is acting on behalf of the disadvantaged. A person cannot fool God by pretending not to know about the plight of others (Proverbs 24:1–12).

All things God gives have a good and valuable purpose (1 Timothy 4:4). It's appropriate to enjoy those things and seek them out in the right way. In the same sense, we ought to recognize the pleasure and value of godly wisdom. What's not appropriate is to seek to harm others by taking advantage of them. Neither is it godly to feel glee when an enemy suffers. To appreciate God's justice is one thing; being giddy when anyone else is in pain is sinful. In general, believers should seek God's will rather than being overly worried about the schemes of evil people. Respecting authority—both moral and legal—helps a person avoid the natural consequences of disobedience (Proverbs 24:13–22).

The next passage begins more wise statements. At least some of these seem to come directly from Solomon, but their sources are not as clear as in other chapters. Solomon again stresses the importance of fair judgment, both in the official sense, and in the lives of common persons. He also warns against cutting others down—even when the criticism is true—unless one has a good reason to do so. Revenge, especially, is to be avoided. The chapter ends with an extensive example of the consequences of laziness. Solomon passes a field which shows obvious signs of neglect. He uses this as an opportunity to learn, himself, and apply what he sees to his own wisdom (Proverbs 24:23–34).
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