Saying 27
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place;
16
for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18
or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.
Saying 29
19 Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked,
20
for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying 30
21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials,
22
for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:
24
Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25
But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.
26
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27
Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
28
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead?
29
Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
30
I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31
thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
32
I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
34
and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.