Proverbs 24:17-34Share

Proverbs 24:17-34 The Message (MSG)

Don’t laugh when your enemy falls; don’t gloat over his collapse. GOD might see, and become very provoked, and then take pity on his plight. Don’t bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. Those people have no future at all; they’re headed down a dead-end street. Fear GOD, dear child—respect your leaders; don’t be defiant or mutinous. Without warning your life can turn upside down, and who knows how or when it might happen? It’s wrong, very wrong, to go along with injustice. Whoever whitewashes the wicked gets a black mark in the history books, But whoever exposes the wicked will be thanked and rewarded. An honest answer is like a warm hug. First plant your fields; then build your barn. Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs— no slander or gossip, please. Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me. I’ll make you pay for what you did!” One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a slob; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: “A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!”

Proverbs 24:17-34 King James Version (KJV)

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, Neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The candle of the wicked shall be put out. My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: And meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And who knoweth the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; Him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them. Every man shall kiss his lips That giveth a right answer. Prepare thy work without, And make it fit for thyself in the field; And afterwards build thine house. Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; And deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. I went by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, And nettles had covered the face thereof, And the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; And thy want as an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him. Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change, For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them? These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good. He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him; But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. He kisses the lips Who gives a right answer. Prepare your work outside And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house. Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; Its surface was covered with nettles, And its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,” Then your poverty will come as a robber And your want like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 New Century Version (NCV)

Don’t be happy when your enemy is defeated; don’t be glad when he is overwhelmed. The LORD will notice and be displeased. He may not be angry with them anymore. Don’t envy evil people, and don’t be jealous of the wicked. An evil person has nothing to hope for; the wicked will die like a flame that is put out. My child, respect the LORD and the king. Don’t join those people who refuse to obey them. The LORD and the king will quickly destroy such people. Those two can cause great disaster! These are also sayings of the wise: It is not good to take sides when you are the judge. Don’t tell the wicked that they are innocent; people will curse you, and nations will hate you. But things will go well if you punish the guilty, and you will receive rich blessings. An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips. First, finish your outside work and prepare your fields. After that, you can build your house. Don’t testify against your neighbor for no good reason. Don’t say things that are false. Don’t say, “I’ll get even; I’ll do to him what he did to me.” I passed by a lazy person’s field and by the vineyard of someone with no sense. Thorns had grown up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds, and the stone walls had fallen down. I thought about what I had seen; I learned this lesson from what I saw. You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest. Soon you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.

Proverbs 24:17-34 American Standard Version (ASV)

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown; Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out. My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; And company not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it? These also are sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him; But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them. He kisseth the lips Who giveth a right answer. Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field; And afterwards build thy house. Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; And deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work. I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction: Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep; So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 New International Version (NIV)

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them. An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead? Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.” I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 New King James Version (NKJV)

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house. Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¶Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles, Or the LORD will see your gloating and be displeased, And turn His anger away from your enemy. ¶Do not get upset because of evildoers, Or be envious of the wicked, For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. ¶My son, fear the LORD and the king; And do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary], For their tragedy will rise suddenly, And who knows the punishment that both [the LORD and the king] will bring on the rebellious? ¶These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him; But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. He kisses the lips [and wins the hearts of people] Who gives a right and straightforward answer. ¶Prepare your work outside And get it ready for yourself in the field; Afterward build your house and establish a home. ¶Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips [speak neither lies nor half-truths]. [Eph 4:25] Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for his deed.” [Prov 20:22; Matt 5:39, 44; Rom 12:17, 19] ¶I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense; And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, And nettles were covering its surface, And its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I considered it well; I looked and received instruction. “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],” Then your poverty will come as a robber, And your want like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:17-34 New Living Translation (NLT)

Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the LORD and the king? Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them. An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Proverbs 24:17-34 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Never gloat when your enemy meets disaster, and don’t be quick to rejoice if he falls. For the Lord, who sees your heart, will be displeased with you and will pity your foe. Don’t be angrily offended over evildoers or be agitated by them. For the wicked have no life and no future— their light of life will die out. My child, stand in awe of YAHWEH! Give counsel to others, but don’t mingle with those who are rebellious. For sudden destruction will fall upon them and their lives will be ruined in a moment. And who knows what retribution they will face! Those enlightened with wisdom have spoken these proverbs: Judgment must be impartial, for it is always wrong to be swayed by a person’s status. If you say to the guilty, “You are innocent,” the nation will curse you and the people will revile you. But when you convict the guilty, the people will thank you and reward you with favor. Speaking honestly is a sign of true friendship. Go ahead, build your career and give yourself to your work. But if you put me first, you’ll see your family built up! Why would you be a false accuser and slander with your words? Don’t ever spitefully say, “I’ll get even with him! I’ll do to him what he did to me!” One day I passed by the field of a lazy man, and I noticed the vineyards of a slacker. I observed nothing but thorns, weeds, and broken-down walls. So I considered their lack of wisdom, and I pondered the lessons I could learn from this: Professional work habits prevent poverty from becoming your permanent business partner. And: If you put off until tomorrow the work you could do today, tomorrow never seems to come.

Proverbs 24:17-34 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him. Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 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.” I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.