Don't Be Envious of Evil Men
1Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
4And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellers there is safety.
7Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
9The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
10If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
11If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
12If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
13My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
16For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
20For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
21My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
22For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
25But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
26Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
27Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
28Be not a witness against thy neighbour 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 slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
33Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Do Not Envy
1 Don’t be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:
2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.
Saying 21
3 Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.
Saying 22
5 A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;
6 for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.
Saying 24
8 One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.
Saying 25
10 If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
12 If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this;” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?
Saying 26
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:
14 so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.
Saying 27
15 Don’t lay in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Don’t destroy his resting place:
16 for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
Saying 28
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;
18 lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Saying 29
19 Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:
20 for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.
Saying 30
21 My son, fear Yahweh and the king. Don’t join those who are rebellious:
22 for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both—who knows?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous;” peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him—
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.
26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.
28 Don’t be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Don’t deceive with your lips.
29 Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;
34 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.
Do Not Envy
Saying 20
1 Do not envy wicked men
or desire their company;
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips declare trouble.
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built
and by understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful treasure.
Saying 22
5 A wise man is strong, a
and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 Only with sound guidance should you wage war,
and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
Saying 24
8 He who plots evil
will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to men.
Saying 25
10 If you faint in the day of distress,
how small is your strength!
11 Rescue those being led away to death,
and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,”
does not He who weighs hearts consider it?
Does not the One who guards your life know?
Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, there is a future for you,
and your hope will never be cut off.
Saying 27
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous;
do not destroy his resting place.
16 For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up;
but the wicked stumble in bad times.
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls,
and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove,
and turn His wrath away from him.
Saying 29
19 Do not fret over evildoers,
and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 For the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Saying 30
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For they will bring sudden destruction.
Who knows what ruin they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment
is not good.
24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—
peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 An honest answer given
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field;
after that, you may build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 I went past the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere,
thistles had covered the ground,
and the stone wall was broken down.
32 I observed and took it to heart;
I looked and received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and need like a bandit.
Footnotes:
5 a LXX The wise are mightier than the strong
Don't Be Envious of Evil Men
1Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.
2For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.
3By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.
4And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, With all precious and pleasant wealth.
5Mighty is the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
6For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance is in a multitude of counsellors.
7Wisdom is high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.
8Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts.
9The thought of folly is sin, And an abomination to man is a scorner.
10Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,
11If from delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter -- thou keepest back.
12When thou sayest, 'Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.
13Eat my son, honey that is good, And the honeycomb -- sweet to thy palate.
14So is the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.
15Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting-place.
16For seven times doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.
17In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,
18Lest Jehovah see, and it be evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.
19Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked,
20For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,
22For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both -- who knoweth!
Further Sayings of the Wise
23These also are for the wise: -- To discern faces in judgment is not good.
24Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou art righteous,' Peoples execrate him -- nations abhor him.
25And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.
26Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.
27Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field -- go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.
28Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.
29Say not, 'As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'
30Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
31And lo, it hath gone up -- all of it -- thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down.
32And I see -- I -- I do set my heart, I have seen -- I have received instruction,
33A little sleep -- a little slumber -- A little folding of the hands to lie down.
34And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!
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