Benefits of Wisdom

1Don’t be envious of wicked men

or wish you were with them,

2because theya plan violence,

and they are always talkingb about trouble.

3By wisdom a house is built;

it is made secure through understanding.

4By knowledge its rooms are furnished

with all sorts of expensive and beautiful goods.

5A wise man is strong,c

and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.

6For through wise counsel you will wage your war,

and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.

7Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;

he has nothing to say in court.d

8The person who plans on doing evil

will be called a schemer.

9To devise folly is sin,

and people detest a scoffer.

10If you grow weary when times are troubled,

your strength is limited.e

11Rescue those who are being led away to death,

and save those who stumble toward slaughter.

12If you say, “Look here, we didn’t know about this,”

doesn’t God,f who examines motives,g discern it?

Doesn’t the one who guards your soul

know about it?

Won’t he repay each person

according to what he has done?

13My son, eat honey, because it’s good for you;h

indeed, drippings from the honeycomb are sweet to your taste;

14Keep in mind that wisdom is like that for your soul;

if you find it, there will be a future for you,

and what you hope for won’t be cut short.

15Don’t lie in wait like an outlaw

to attack where the righteous live;

16for though a righteous man falls seven times,

he will rise again,

but the wicked stumble into calamity.

17Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls;

don’t let yourself be glad when he stumbles.

18Otherwise the LORD will observe and disapprove,

and he will turn his anger away from him.

19Don’t be anxious about those who practice evil,

and don’t be envious of the wicked.

20For the wicked man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

21My son, fear both the LORD and the king,

and don’t keep company with rebels.

22They will be destroyed suddenly,

and who knows what kind of punishment will come from these two?

Sayings of the Wise

23Here are some more proverbs from wise people:

It isn’t good to show partiality in judgment.

24Whoever says to the wicked, “You’re in the right,”

will be cursed by people and hated by nations.

25But as for people who rebuke the wicked;i

a good blessing will fall upon them.

26A kiss on the lips—

that’s what someone who gives an honest answer deserves.j

27First do your outside work,

preparing your land for yourself.

After that, build your house.

28Don’t testify against your neighbor without a cause,

and don’t lie when you speak.k

29Don’t say, “I’ll do to him like he did to me,

I’ll be sure to pay him back for what he did.”

30I went by the field belonging to a lazy man,

by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.

31There it was, overgrown with thistles,

the ground covered with thorns,

its stone wall collapsed.

32As I observed, I thought about it;

I watched, and learned a lesson:

33“A little sleep! A little slumber!

A little folding of my hands to rest!”

34Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber,

your need like an armed bandit.