By Wisdom a House Is Built
1Do not envy evil men or crave their company, 2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk of trouble. 3By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is made firm; 4by knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and pleasant treasure. 5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge braces his power. 6For with guidance you wage your war, and victory lies in many counselors. 7Wisdom is too high for the senseless; at the gate he does not open his mouth. 8Whoever plots to do harm—men will call him a schemer. 9The scheming of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men. 10If you go slack on the day of trouble, your strength is small indeed.
Those Taken Off to Death
11Rescue those being taken off to death; hold back those staggering to the slaughter. 12If you say, “We knew nothing of this”—does not the one who weighs hearts understand? Does not the one who guards your life know? And will he not repay a man for what he has done? 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the comb is sweet on your palate. 14Know that wisdom is the same for your soul: find it, and there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. 15Do not lie in wait, you wicked man, against the home of the righteous; do not ravage the place where he rests. 16For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble into ruin. 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18or Yahweh will see and be displeased, and turn his anger away from him. 19Do not burn with rage over evildoers or envy the wicked, 20for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will go out. 21Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king; do not mix with those who defy them, 22for their disaster will rise up suddenly—and the ruin those two can bring, who knows?
More Sayings of the Wise
23These also come from the wise: to show partiality in judgment is not good. 24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. 25But it will go well with those who convict him, and a rich blessing will come upon them. 26A straight answer is a kiss on the lips. 27Get your work outside in order, make it ready in the field—and after that, build your house. 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause; would you deceive with your lips? 29Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will repay the man for what he did.”
The Sluggard’s Vineyard
30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man who lacks sense, 31and there it was, all grown over with weeds; nettles covered its face, and its stone wall was broken down. 32I looked, and I took it to heart; I saw, and I learned the lesson: 33a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down— 34and your poverty will come prowling on you, and your wants like an armed man.
