ASV - Proverbs Chapter 24 to 25

24 Proverbs 24

¹Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them: ²For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief. ³Through wisdom is a house builded; And by understanding it is established; ⁴And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches. ⁵A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might, ⁶For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war; And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. ⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate. ⁸He that deviseth to do evil, Men shall call him a mischief-maker. ⁹The thought of foolishness is sin; And the scoffer is an abomination to men. ¹⁰If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small. ¹¹Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back. ¹²If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this; Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his work? ¹³My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste: ¹⁴So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off. ¹⁵Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting-place: ¹⁶For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity. ¹⁷Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown; ¹⁸Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him. ¹⁹Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked: ²⁰For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out. ²¹My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; And company not with them that are given to change: ²²For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it? ²³These also are sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good. ²⁴He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him: ²⁵But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them. ²⁶He kisseth the lips Who giveth a right answer. ²⁷Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field; And afterwards build thy house. ²⁸Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; And deceive not with thy lips. ²⁹Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work. ³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; ³¹And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down. ³²Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction: ³³Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep; ³⁴So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

25 Proverbs 25

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. ²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. ³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. ⁴Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner: ⁵Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness. ⁶Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: ⁷For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. ⁸Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. ⁹Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, And disclose not the secret of another; ¹⁰Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away. ¹¹A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in network of silver. ¹²As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. ¹³As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters. ¹⁴As clouds and wind without rain, So is he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely. ¹⁵By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone. ¹⁶Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. ¹⁷Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor's house, Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee. ¹⁸A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. ¹⁹Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. ²⁰As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart. ²¹If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: ²²For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee. ²³The north wind bringeth forth rain: So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. ²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house. ²⁵As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. ²⁶As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked. ²⁷It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search out their own glory is grievous. ²⁸He whose spirit is without restraint Is like a city that is broken down and without walls.