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Proverbs 24 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Do Not Envy Evil Men
Pro 24:1Do not be envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
Pro 24:2For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
Pro 24:3Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
Pro 24:4By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
Pro 24:5A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
Pro 24:6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
Pro 24:7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
Pro 24:8He who plots to do evil
Will be called a schemer.
Pro 24:9The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
Pro 24:10If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
Pro 24:11Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
Pro 24:12If 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?
Pro 24:13My son, eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
Pro 24:14So 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.
Pro 24:15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
Pro 24:16For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Pro 24:17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Pro 24:18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
Pro 24:19Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
Pro 24:20For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Pro 24:21My son, fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
Pro 24:22For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
Pro 24:23These things also belong to the wise:

It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
Pro 24:24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
Pro 24:25But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
Pro 24:26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
Pro 24:27Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
Pro 24:28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
For would you deceive[fn] with your lips?
Pro 24:29Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
Pro 24:30I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
Pro 24:31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
Pro 24:32When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
Pro 24:33A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
Pro 24:34So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
NKJV Footnotes
Septuagint and Vulgate read Do not deceive.
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Proverbs Chapter 24 — Additional Translations: