New International Version NIV
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company;
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4 Be not thou envious of anshei ra’ah, neither desire to be with them.
2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.
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For their lev plotteth violence, and their sfatayim (lips) talk of amal (trouble).
3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
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Through chochmah is a bais built, and by tevunah (understanding) it is established.
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
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And by da’as shall the chadarim (chambers, rooms) be filled with all precious and pleasant hon (riches, wealth).
5 The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
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A gever chacham is strong; indeed, an ish da’as (man of knowledge) increaseth ko’ach.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.
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For by tachbulot (guidance) thou shalt wage thy milchamah (war), and in a multitude of yo’etz (counselors) there is teshu’ah (victory, safety).
7 Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
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Chochmah is too lofty for a fool; he openeth not his peh (mouth) at the sha’ar.
8 Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer.
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He that plotteth to do evil shall be called a ba’al mezimmot (master of schemes).
9 The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker.
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The scheme of folly is chattat (sin), and the scoffer is a to’evah to adam (man).
10 If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!
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If thou faint in the yom tzarah, thy strength is small.
11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
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Save those who are drawn away toward mavet, and hold back those stumbling toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
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If thou sayest, See, we knew it not, doth not He that weigheth the levavot consider it? And He that is guard over thy nefesh, doth not He know it? And shall not He render to every adam according to his works?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
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Beni (my son), eat thou devash, because it is tov; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
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So shall the knowledge of chochmah be unto thy nefesh; when thou hast found it, then there shall be an acharit (latter end, future), and thy tikvah (hope) shall not be cut off.
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place;
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Lay not in wait, O rasha, against the naveh (dwelling) of the tzaddik; assault not his resting place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
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For a tzaddik falleth sheva (seven times), and riseth up again, but the resha’im are overthrown in ra’ah.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
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Gloat not when thine oyev falleth, and let not thine lev rejoice when he stumbleth,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.
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Lest Hashem see it, and it is rah in His eyes, and He turn away His wrath from him.
19 Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked,
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Fret not thyself because of ra’im, neither be thou envious of the resha’im,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
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For there shall be no acharit (latter end, future) to the rah; the ner (light) of the resha’im shall be put out.
21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials,
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Beni (my son), fear thou Hashem and the Melech, and do not associate with them that are otherwise disposed.
22 for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
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For their calamity shall arise suddenly; and who hath da’as of ruin those two [i.e., Hashem and the Melech] can bring?
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:
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These things also belong to chachamim: it is not tov to show partiality in mishpat.
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
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He that saith unto the rashah, Thou are tzaddik, him shall the people curse, nations shall detest him;
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.
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But to them that rebuke the wicked, it is well, and birkat tov shall come upon them.
26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
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He that giveth an answer that is nakhon (right, correct), giveth a kiss on the sfatayim.
27 Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
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Set in order thy outside work, and make ready for thyself in the sadeh; then afterwards build thine bais.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead?
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Be not an ed (witness) against thy re’a without cause, and deceive not with thy sfatayim (lips).
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
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Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the ish according to his work.
30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
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I went by the sadeh of the ish atzel (sluggard, lazy one), and went past the kerem (vineyard) of the adam chasar lev (the man void of lev [of understanding]),
31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
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And, hinei, it was all grown over with thorns, and charullim (nettles) had covered the surface thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
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Then I saw, and considered it well in my lev; I looked upon it, and received musar.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
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Yet a little shenot (slumber), a little sleep, a little folding of the yadayim to rest;
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
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So shall thy poverty come like a prowler; and thy want like an ish mogen (armed warrior).
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.