24
1 Be not thou envious of anshei ra'ah,
neither desire to be with them.
2 For their lev plotteth violence,
and their sfatayim (lips) talk of amal (trouble).
3 Through chochmah is a bais built,
and by tevunah (understanding) it is established.
4 And by da'as shall the chadarim (chambers, rooms) be filled
with all precious and pleasant hon (riches, wealth).
5 A gever chacham is strong;
indeed, an ish da'as (man of knowledge) increaseth ko'ach.
6 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 Chochmah is too lofty for a fool;
he openeth not his peh (mouth) at the sha'ar.
8 He that plotteth to do evil shall be called
a ba'al mezimmot (master of schemes).
9 The scheme of folly is chattat (sin),
and the scoffer is a to'evah to adam (man).
10 If thou faint in the yom tzarah,
thy strength is small.
11 Save those who are drawn away toward mavet,
and hold back those stumbling toward slaughter.
12 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 Beni (my son), eat thou devash, because it is tov;
and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;
14 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 Lay not in wait, O rasha, against the naveh (dwelling) of the tzaddik;
assault not his resting place;
16 For a tzaddik falleth sheva (seven times), and riseth up again,
but the resha'im are overthrown in ra'ah.
17 Gloat not when thine oyev falleth,
and let not thine lev rejoice when he stumbleth,
18 Lest Hashem see it, and it is rah in His eyes,
and He turn away His wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of ra'im,
neither be thou envious of the resha'im,
20 For there shall be no acharit (latter end, future) to the rah;
the ner (light) of the resha'im shall be put out.
21 Beni (my son), fear thou Hashem and the Melech,
and do not associate with them that are otherwise disposed.
22 For their calamity shall arise suddenly;
and who hath da'as of ruin those two* can bring?
23 These things also belong to chachamim:
it is not tov to show partiality in mishpat.
24 He that saith unto the rashah, Thou are tzaddik,
him shall the people curse, nations shall detest him;
25 But to them that rebuke the wicked, it is well,
and birkat tov shall come upon them.
26 He that giveth an answer that is nakhon (right, correct),
giveth a kiss on the sfatayim.
27 Set in order thy outside work,
and make ready for thyself in the sadeh;
then afterwards build thine bais.
28 Be not an ed (witness) against thy re'a without cause,
and deceive not with thy sfatayim (lips).
29 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 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 ),†
31 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 Then I saw, and considered it well in my lev;
I looked upon it, and received musar.
33 Yet a little shenot (slumber), a little sleep,
a little folding of the yadayim to rest;
34 So shall thy poverty come like a prowler;
and thy want like an ish mogen (armed warrior).
* 24:22 i.e., Hashem and the Melech † 24:30 of understanding