Proverbs 24

1 Follow thou not evil men (Do not thou follow evil people), desire thou not to be with them.

2 For the soul of them bethinketh (on) ravens, and their lips speak frauds. (For their minds think about robberies, and their lips speak lies.)

3 An house shall be builded by wisdom, and it shall be made strong by prudence, (or by understanding).

4 [The] Cellars shall be filled in teaching, with all riches precious and full fair. (By knowledge and study, the cellars shall be filled with all precious and beautiful things of riches.)

5 A wise man is strong, and a learned man is stalworthy and mighty.

6 For why battle is begun with ordinance; and health shall be, where many counsels be. (For battle is begun with forethought; and victory shall be, where there be many plans, or much good advice.)

7 Wisdom is high to a fool; in the gate he shall not open his mouth. (Wisdom is too high for a fool to reach; in court/at the city gates, he shall not even dare to open his mouth.)

8 He that thinketh to do evils, shall be called a fool.

9 The thought of a fool is (a) sin; and a backbiter is abomination of men (and a backbiter is an abomination to everyone).

10 If thou hast slid, despairest (thou) in the day of anguish, (for) thy strength shall be made less.

11 Deliver thou them, that be led to death (Rescue thou them, who be led to death); and cease thou not to deliver them, that be drawn to death.

12 If thou sayest, Strongholds suffice not; he that is [the] beholder of the heart, understandeth, and nothing deceiveth the keeper of thy soul, and he shall yield to a man after his works.

13 My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; and the honeycomb for it is full sweet to thy throat.

14 So and the teaching of wisdom is good to thy soul; and when thou hast found it, thou shalt have hope in the last things, and thine hope shall not perish. (And so the teaching of wisdom is good for thy soul; and when thou hast found it, thou shalt have hope unto the end, and thy hope shall never perish.)

15 Ambush thou not, and seek not (to bring) wickedness in the house of a just man, neither waste thou, his rest(ing) (place). (Do not thou ambush, and do not seek to bring wickedness into the house of a righteous person, nor destroy thou his resting place.)

16 For a just man shall fall seven times in the day, and shall rise again; but wicked men shall fall into evil. (For a righteous person shall fall seven times in a day, and shall rise up again each time; but the wicked shall fall into evil, and shall never get out of it.)

17 When thine enemy falleth, have thou not joy; and thine heart have not full out joying in his falling;

18 lest peradventure the Lord see, and it displease him, and he take away his ire from him.

19 Strive thou not with the worst men, neither follow thou wicked men. (Argue thou not with the wicked, nor follow thou the wicked.)

20 For why evil men have not hope of things to come, and the lantern of wicked men shall be quenched. (For evil people have no hope in things to come, and the lantern of the wicked shall be quenched.)

21 My son, dread thou God, and the king; and be thou not meddled with backbiters. (My son, fear thou God/have thou reverence for God, and the king; and be thou not mixed in, or mingled, with backbiters.)

22 For their perdition shall rise together suddenly (For their perdition shall suddenly rise up, or shall happen), and who knoweth the fall of ever either?

23 Also these things that follow be to wise men. It is not good to know a person in doom. (And these things that follow also be for the wise. It is not good to know a person whom thou is judging.)

24 Peoples shall curse them that say to a wicked man, Thou art just; and lineages shall hold them abominable. (The peoples, or the nations, shall curse those who say to a wicked person, Thou art righteous; and the tribes, or all the people, shall hold them as abominable.)

25 They that reprove justly sinners, shall be praised (They who justly rebuke sinners, shall be praised); and blessing shall come [up]on them.

26 He that answereth (with) rightful words, shall kiss lips. (Lips shall kiss him, who answereth with upright words.)

27 Make ready thy work withoutforth, and work thy field diligently, that thou build thine house afterward. (Do all thy work outside, and work thy field diligently, and then afterward, thou shalt build thy house.)

28 Be thou not a witness without reasonable cause against thy neighbour; neither flatter thou any man with thy lips.

29 Say thou not, As he did to me, so I shall do to him, and I shall yield to each man after his work.

30 I passed by the field of a slow man, and by the vinery of a fond man; (I passed by a lazy man's field, and by a foolish person's vineyard;)

31 and lo! nettles had filled all, thorns had covered the higher part thereof, and the wall of stones without mortar was destroyed.

32 And when I had seen this thing, I setted (it) in mine heart, and by ensample, I learned (the) teaching. (And when I had seen this, I put it in my heart, and by example, I learned the lesson.)

33 How long sleepest thou, slow man? when shalt thou rise from sleep? Soothly thou shalt sleep a little, thou shalt nap a little, thou shalt join together the hands a little, to take rest; (How long sleepest thou, O lazy man? when shalt thou rise from sleep? Truly thou shalt sleep a little, thou shalt nap a little, and then thou shalt join together thy hands a little, and take rest again;)

34 and then thy neediness as a courier shall come to thee, and thy beggary as an armed man.

Proverbs 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

Verses 1-2 Envy not sinners. And let not a desire ever come into thy mind, Oh that I could shake off restraints! ( 3-6 ) . Piety and prudence in outward affairs, both go together to complete a wise man. By knowledge the soul is filled with the graces and comforts of the spirit, those precious and pleasant riches. The spirit is strengthened for the spiritual work and the spiritual warfare, by true wisdom. ( 7-9 ) . A weak man thinks wisdom is too high for him, therefore he will take no pains for it. It is bad to do evil, but worse to devise it. Even the first risings of sin in the heart are sin, and must be repented of. Those that strive to make others hateful, make themselves so. Verse 10 . Under troubles we are apt to despair of relief. But be of good ( proverbs 24:11-12 ) know that his neighbour is in danger by any unjust proceeding, he is bound to do all in his power to deliver him. And what is it to suffer immortal souls to perish, when our persuasions and ( proverbs 24:13-14 ) quickened to the study of wisdom by considering both the pleasure and the profit of it. All men relish things that are sweet to the palate; but many have no relish for the things that are sweet to the purified soul, and that make us wise unto ( proverbs 24:15-16 ) do, by stumbling at some stone in his path; but gets up, and goes on his way with more care and speed. This is rather to be understood of falls into affliction, than falls into actual sin. ( proverbs 24:17-18 ) ( proverbs 24:19-20 ) ( proverbs 24:21-22 ) The godly in the land, will be quiet in the land. There may be cause to change for the better, but have nothing to do with them that are given change. ( 23-26 ) . The wisdom God giveth, renders a man fit for his station. Every one who finds the benefit of the right answer, will be attached to him that gave it. Verse 27 . We must prefer necessaries before conveniences, and not go in debt. ( proverbs 24:28-29 ) ( 30-34 ) . See what a blessing the husbandman's calling is, and what a wilderness this earth would be without it. See what great difference there is in the management even of worldly affairs. Sloth and self-indulgence are the bane of all good. When we see fields overgrown with thorns and thistles, and the fences broken down, we see an emblem of the far more deplorable state of many souls. Every vile affection grows in men's hearts; yet they compose themselves to sleep. Let us show wisdom by doubling our diligence in every good thing.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 12

This chapter relates Rehoboam's going to Shechem to be made king, and Jeroboam's return from Egypt, 1Ki 12:1,2, the people's request to Rehoboam to be eased of their taxes, as the condition of making him king, 1Ki 12:3,4, his answer to them, after three days, having had the advice both of the old and young men, which latter he followed, and gave in a rough answer, 1Ki 12:5-15, upon which ten tribes revolted from him, and two abode by him, 1Ki 12:16-20, wherefore he meditated a war against the ten tribes, but was forbid by the Lord to engage in it, 1Ki 12:21-24 and Jeroboam, in order to establish his kingdom, and preserve the people from a revolt to the house of David, because of the temple worship at Jerusalem, devised a scheme of idolatrous worship in his own territories, 1Ki 12:25-33.