Proverbs 24

Words of the Wise

1 Do not be a envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.

3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches. 5 b A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 c For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 7 d Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8 He who e plots to do evil
Will be called a 1 schemer. 9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you f faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small. 11 g Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this,"
Does not h 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 i according to his deeds?

13 My son, j eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 14 k So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a 2 prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place; 16 l For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
m But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

17 n Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the LORD see it, and 3 it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

19 o Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked; 20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, p fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change; 22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

More Sayings of the Wise

23 These things also belong to the wise:
q It is not good to 4 show partiality in judgment. 24 r He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous,"
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him. 25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have s delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them. 26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

27 t Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

28 u Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
5 For would you deceive with your lips? 29 v Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work."

30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; 31 And there it was, w all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down. 32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction: 33 x A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest; 34 y So shall your poverty come like 6 a prowler,
And your need like 7 an armed man.

  1. Cross References
    Psalms 1:1
    Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
    Psalms 37:1
    Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
    Proverbs 23:17
    Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day.
  2. Cross References
    Proverbs 21:22
    A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold.
    Ecclesiastes 9:16
    Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.
  3. Cross References
    Luke 14:31
    Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 10:5
    His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
    Proverbs 14:6
    A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
  5. Cross References
    Proverbs 6:14
    Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.
    Proverbs 14:22
    Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
    Romans 1:30
    Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.
  6. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 20:8
    "The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.'
    Job 4:5
    But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled.
    Jeremiah 51:46
    And lest your heart faint, And you fear for the rumor that will be heard in the land (A rumor will come one year, And after that, in another year A rumor will come, And violence in the land, Ruler against ruler).
    Hebrews 12:3
    For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
  7. Cross References
    Psalms 82:4
    Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
    Isaiah 58:6
    Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
    Isaiah 58:7
    Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
    1 John 3:16
    By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 16:7
    But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
    Proverbs 21:2
    Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
  9. Cross References
    Job 34:11
    For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
    Psalms 62:12
    Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
    Revelation 2:23
    I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
    Revelation 22:12
    And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 19:10
    More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
    Psalms 119:103
    How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
    Proverbs 25:16
    Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
    Song of Solomon 5:1
    I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!
  11. Cross References
    Psalms 19:10
    More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
    Psalms 58:11
    So that men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.
    Proverbs 23:18
    For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.
  12. Cross References
    Job 5:19
    He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
    Psalms 34:19
    Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
    Psalms 37:24
    Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
    Micah 7:8
    Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.
  13. Cross References
    Esther 7:10
    So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.
    Amos 5:2
    The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.
  14. Cross References
    Job 31:29
    If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him
    Psalms 35:15
    But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease.
    Psalms 35:19
    Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
    Proverbs 17:5
    He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 37:1
    Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
  16. Cross References
    Romans 13:7
    Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
    1 Peter 2:17
    Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
  17. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:15
    You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
    Deuteronomy 1:17
    'You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'
    Deuteronomy 16:19
    You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
    John 7:24
    "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
  18. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:15
    He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
    Isaiah 5:23
    Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!
  19. Cross References
    Proverbs 28:23
    He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward Than he who flatters with the tongue.
  20. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:17
    And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple.
    Proverbs 27:23 - 27
    Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds.
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:2
    If a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor.
    Leviticus 6:3
    Or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely - in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins:
    Leviticus 19:11
    You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.
    Ephesians 4:25
    Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
  22. Cross References
    Proverbs 20:22
    Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
    Matthew 5:39 - 44
    But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
    Romans 12:17 - 19
    Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
  23. Cross References
    Genesis 3:18
    Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
  24. Cross References
    Proverbs 6:9
    How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
    Proverbs 6:10
    A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep -
  25. Cross References
    Proverbs 6:9 - 11
    How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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