Proverbs 24 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Pro 24:1

Pro 24:1Don’t envy evil people
or desire their company.

Pro 24:2

Pro 24:2For their hearts plot violence,
and their words always stir up trouble.

Pro 24:3

Pro 24:3A house is built by wisdom
and becomes strong through good sense.

Pro 24:4

Pro 24:4Through knowledge its rooms are filled
with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

Pro 24:5

Pro 24:5The wise are mightier than the strong,[fn]
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.

Pro 24:6

Pro 24:6So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.

Pro 24:7

Pro 24:7Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.

Pro 24:8

Pro 24:8A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.

Pro 24:9

Pro 24:9The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.

Pro 24:10

Pro 24:10If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.

Pro 24:11

Pro 24:11Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.

Pro 24:12

Pro 24:12Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

Pro 24:13

Pro 24:13My child,[fn] eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.

Pro 24:14

Pro 24:14In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.

Pro 24:15

Pro 24:15Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly,
and don’t raid the house where the godly live.

Pro 24:16

Pro 24:16The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.

Pro 24:17

Pro 24:17Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.

Pro 24:18

Pro 24:18For the LORD will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.

Pro 24:19

Pro 24:19Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.

Pro 24:20

Pro 24:20For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Pro 24:21

Pro 24:21My child, fear the LORD and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,

Pro 24:22

Pro 24:22for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the LORD and the king?

More Sayings of the Wise

Pro 24:23

Pro 24:23Here are some further sayings of the wise:
It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.

Pro 24:24

Pro 24:24A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.

Pro 24:25

Pro 24:25But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;
rich blessings will be showered on them.

Pro 24:26

Pro 24:26An honest answer
is like a kiss of friendship.

Pro 24:27

Pro 24:27Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.

Pro 24:28

Pro 24:28Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.

Pro 24:29

Pro 24:29And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!”

Pro 24:30

Pro 24:30I walked by the field of a lazy person,
the vineyard of one with no common sense.

Pro 24:31

Pro 24:31I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
It was covered with weeds,
and its walls were broken down.

Pro 24:32

Pro 24:32Then, as I looked and thought about it,
I learned this lesson:

Pro 24:33

Pro 24:33A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—

Pro 24:34

Pro 24:34then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(24:5)

As in Greek version; Hebrew reads A wise man is strength.

(24:13)

Hebrew My son; also in 24:21.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.