Proverbs 24; Proverbs 25; Proverbs 26

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Proverbs 24

1 Don't be envious of evil people, and don't try to make friends with them.
2 Causing trouble is all they ever think about; every time they open their mouth someone is going to be hurt.
3 Homes are built on the foundation of wisdom and understanding.
4 Where there is knowledge, the rooms are furnished with valuable, beautiful things.
5 Being wise is better than being strong; yes, knowledge is more important than strength.
6 After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.
7 Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.
8 If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker.
9 Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.
10 If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.
11 Don't hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly.
12 You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.
13 My child, eat honey; it is good. And just as honey from the comb is sweet on your tongue,
14 you may be sure that wisdom is good for the soul. Get wisdom and you have a bright future.
15 Don't be like the wicked who scheme to rob honest people or to take away their homes.
16 No matter how often honest people fall, they always get up again; but disaster destroys the wicked.
17 Don't be glad when your enemies meet disaster, and don't rejoice when they stumble.
18 The Lord will know if you are gloating, and he will not like it; and then maybe he won't punish them.
19 Don't let evil people worry you; don't be envious of them.
20 A wicked person has no future - nothing to look forward to.
21 Have reverence for the Lord, my child, and honor the king. Have nothing to do with people who rebel against them;
22 such people could be ruined in a moment. Do you realize the disaster that God or the king can cause?
23 The wise have also said these things: It is wrong for judges to be prejudiced.
24 If they pronounce a guilty person innocent, they will be cursed and hated by everyone.
25 Judges who punish the guilty, however, will be prosperous and enjoy a good reputation.
26 An honest answer is a sign of true friendship.
27 Don't build your house and establish a home until your fields are ready, and you are sure that you can earn a living.
28 Don't give evidence against others without good reason, or say misleading things about them.
29 Don't say, "I'll do to them just what they did to me! I'll get even with them!"
30 I walked through the fields and vineyards of a lazy, stupid person.
31 They were full of thorn bushes and overgrown with weeds. The stone wall around them had fallen down.
32 I looked at this, thought about it, and learned a lesson from it:
33 Go ahead and take your nap; go ahead and sleep. Fold your hands and rest awhile,
34 but while you are asleep, poverty will attack you like an armed robber.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Proverbs 25

1 Here are more of Solomon's proverbs, copied by scribes at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.
2 We honor God for what he conceals; we honor kings for what they explain.
3 You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean.
4 Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty.
5 Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice.
6 When you stand before the king, don't try to impress him and pretend to be important.
7 It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important.
8 Don't be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?
9 If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets.
10 Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.
11 An idea well-expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.
12 A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewelry made of the finest gold.
13 A reliable messenger is refreshing to the one who sends him, like cold water in the heat of harvest time.
14 People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
15 Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance and can even convince rulers.
16 Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit.
17 Don't visit your neighbors too often; they may get tired of you and come to hate you.
18 A false accusation is as deadly as a sword, a club, or a sharp arrow.
19 Depending on an unreliable person in a crisis is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot.
20 Singing to a person who is depressed is like taking off a person's clothes on a cold day or like rubbing salt in a wound.
21 If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink.
22 You will make them burn with shame, and the Lord will reward you.
23 Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.
24 Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.
25 Finally hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.
26 A good person who gives in to someone who is evil reminds you of a polluted spring or a poisoned well.
27 Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.
28 If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Proverbs 26

1 Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
2 Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.
3 You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
4 If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
5 Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.
6 If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
7 A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
8 Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
9 A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
10 An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.
11 A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
12 The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.
13 Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?
14 Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
15 Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
16 A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.
17 Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears.
18 Someone who tricks someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a crazy person playing with a deadly weapon.
20 Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
21 Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
22 Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
23 Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
24 A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words.
25 They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate.
26 He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
27 People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
28 You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.