Proverbs 24; Proverbs 25; Proverbs 26

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Proverbs 24

1 Don't envy evil men or desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts plan violence, and their words stir up trouble.
3 A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength;
6 for you should wage war with sound guidance- victory comes with many counselors.
7 Wisdom is inaccessible to a fool; he does not open his mouth at the gate.
8 The one who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to people.
10 If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited.
11 Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter.
12 If you say, "But we didn't know about this," won't He who weighs hearts consider it? Won't He who protects your life know? Won't He repay a person according to his work?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;
14 realize that wisdom is the same for you. If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will never fade.
15 Don't set an ambush, wicked man, at the camp of the righteous man; don't destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin.
17 Don't gloat when your enemy falls, and don't let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Don't worry because of evildoers, and don't envy the wicked.
20 For the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king, and don't associate with rebels,
22 for their destruction will come suddenly; who knows what disaster these two can bring?
23 These [sayings] also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"- people will curse him, and tribes will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a generous blessing will come to them.
26 He who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterwards, build your house.
28 Don't testify against your neighbor without cause. Don't deceive with your lips.
29 Don't say, "I'll do to him what he did to me; I'll repay the man for what he has done."
30 I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Proverbs 25

1 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.
4 Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.
5 Remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Don't brag about yourself before the king, and don't stand in the place of the great;
7 for it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here!" than to demote you in plain view of a noble.
8 Don't take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterwards if your opponent humiliates you?
9 Make your case with your opponent without revealing another's secret;
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you, and you'll never live it down.
11 A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.
13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.
14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.
15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat only what you need; otherwise, you'll get sick from it and vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house; otherwise, he'll get sick of you and hate you.
18 A man giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting an unreliable person in a time of trouble is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.
20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day, or like [pouring] vinegar on soda.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 for you will heap coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 Better to live on the corner of a roof than in a house shared with a nagging wife.
25 Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat.
26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey, or to seek glory after glory.
28 A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Proverbs 26

1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor is inappropriate for a fool.
2 Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools.
4 Don't answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you'll be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he'll become wise in his own eyes.
6 The one who sends a message by a fool's hand cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like lame legs that hang limp.
8 Giving honor to a fool is like binding a stone in a sling.
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a stick with thorns, brandished by the hand of a drunkard.
10 The one who hires a fool, or who hires those passing by, is like an archer who wounds everyone.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The slacker says, "There's a lion in the road- a lion in the public square!"
14 A door turns on its hinge, and a slacker, on his bed.
15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl; he is too weary to bring it to his mouth.
16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 A passerby who meddles in a quarrel that's not his is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,
19 so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"
20 Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down.
21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 A gossip's words are like choice food that goes down to one's innermost being.
23 Smooth lips with an evil heart are like glaze on an earthen vessel.
24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit within.
25 When he speaks graciously, don't believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone- it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.