Proverbs 24
The full text of Proverbs 24 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,'
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 lest the LORD see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
23 These also are sayings of the wise:
Partiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, 'You are in the right,'
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Whoever gives an honest answer
kisses the lips.
27 Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, 'I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.'
30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
Translation notes (9)
- Proverbs 24:11a Hebrew lequchim lammavet, 'those being taken to death', leaves the agent unstated: the language suits victims led to unjust execution, but it could equally describe any headed toward destruction. The parallel matim laharegh, 'those tottering to the slaughter', is likewise open. The next verse's rejected plea of ignorance suggests the reader bears responsibility whichever peril is in view.
- Proverbs 24:12a Hebrew tokhen libbot, 'he who weighs hearts', uses a metaphor from ancient Near Eastern judgment scenes, most famously the Egyptian image of the heart weighed in the balance against truth after death. The heart in Hebrew idiom denotes the seat of thought and intention, so the figure asserts that God assesses hidden motives, leaving no room for the plea of ignorance.
- Proverbs 24:16a The phrase sheva', 'seven', functions here as an idiom for completeness rather than an exact count: the righteous may fall repeatedly, however often trouble comes, and still rise. The falling in view is misfortune, not moral lapse, as the contrast with the wicked stumbling in calamity (ra'ah, 'evil, disaster') makes clear.
- Proverbs 24:20a Hebrew acharit, 'future', can also denote posterity, so the line may promise that the evil man will leave no lasting line. The extinguished lamp was a stock ancient Near Eastern image for the end of a household and its hope, appearing also in Job 18:5-6 and 21:17; a burning lamp conversely signified an enduring dynasty, as in 1 Kings 11:36.
- Proverbs 24:21a The word rendered here as 'those who do otherwise' is shonim, a participle of shanah, 'to change', denoting those who alter their allegiance or foment change against established authority. Pairing the LORD with the king reflects the ancient Israelite conviction that royal authority derives from and remains answerable to divine rule.
- Proverbs 24:23a The heading gam-elleh lachakhamim, 'these also belong to the wise', marks a brief appendix (24:23-34) to the collection of 'the words of the wise' that began at 22:17. The Hebrew idiom for partiality, hakker panim, is literally 'recognizing faces', that is, judging by a person's identity rather than by the merits of the case.
- Proverbs 24:26a The Hebrew sefatayim yishshaq, literally 'he kisses lips', pictures a straightforward reply as a token of genuine friendship, since a kiss in the ancient Near East signified affection and loyalty. The one so honored is the meshiv devarim nekhonim, 'one who returns right words', that is, an answer that is candid and fitting.
- Proverbs 24:28a Hebrew chinnam, 'without cause', qualifies the witness: the offense is testimony given gratuitously, with no wrong suffered. The Septuagint instead reads pseudes martys, 'false witness', assimilating the line to the language of the ninth commandment. The verb in the second line, from patah, 'to entice', suggests misleading or seductive speech rather than simple lying.
- Proverbs 24:33a This verse and the next repeat Proverbs 6:10-11 nearly word for word, here framed as the lesson drawn from the sluggard's overgrown field (verses 30-32). The Hebrew chibbuq yadayim, literally 'a clasping of the hands', pictures the arms folded across the chest in idle repose rather than at work.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Proverbs, is free to read here on the web.
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