— 19 —

24 Don’t be jealous of evil people. Have no desire to be around them. ² In their hearts they plan to do evil. All they talk about is making trouble.

— 20 —

³ Good homes are built on wisdom and understanding. ⁴ Knowledge fills the rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.

— 21 —

⁵ Wisdom makes a man more powerful. Knowledge gives a man strength. ⁶ Get good advice before you start a war. To win, you must have many good advisors.

— 22 —

⁷ Fools cannot understand wisdom. They have nothing to say when people are discussing important things.

— 23 —

⁸ If you start planning ways to do wrong, people will learn that you are a troublemaker. ⁹ Such foolish plans are wrong, and people have no respect for someone who laughs at what is right.

— 24 —

¹⁰ If you are weak in times of trouble, that is real weakness.

— 25 —

¹¹ If you see someone on their way to death or in danger of being killed, you must do something to save them. ¹² You cannot say, “It’s none of my business.” The Lord knows everything, and he knows why you do things. He watches you, and he will pay you back for what you do.

— 26 —

¹³ My son, eat honey; it is good. Honey straight from the honeycomb is the sweetest. ¹⁴ In the same way, know that wisdom is good for you. Wisdom will give you something to hope for that will not disappoint you.

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¹⁵ Don’t be like a criminal who makes plans to rob those who are good or take away their homes. ¹⁶ Good people might fall again and again, but they always get up. It is the wicked who are defeated by their troubles.

— 28 —

¹⁷ Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be glad when they fall. ¹⁸ The Lord will see this, and he might be upset with you and decide not to punish your enemy.

— 29 —

¹⁹ Don’t let those who are evil upset you, and don’t be jealous of them. ²⁰ They have no hope. Their light will burn out.

— 30 —

²¹ Son, respect the Lord and the king, and don’t join with those who are against them, ²² because people like that can quickly be destroyed. You have no idea how much trouble God and the king can make for their enemies.

More Wise Sayings

²³ These are also words from the wise:

A judge must be fair. He must not support some people simply because he knows them. ²⁴ The people will turn against a judge who lets the guilty go free. Even the people of other nations will curse him. ²⁵ But if a judge punishes the guilty, then people will be happy with him, and he will be a blessing to them.

²⁶ An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips.

²⁷ First get your fields ready, next plant your crops, and then build your house.

²⁸ Don’t speak against someone without a good reason, or you will appear foolish.

²⁹ Don’t say, “You hurt me, so I will do the same to you. I will punish you for what you did to me.”

³⁰ I walked past a field that belonged to a lazy man. It was a vineyard that belonged to someone who understood nothing. ³¹ Weeds were growing everywhere! Wild vines covered the ground, and the wall around the vineyard was broken and falling down. ³² I looked at this and thought about it. This is what I learned: ³³ a little sleep, a little rest, folding your arms, and taking a nap— ³⁴ these things will make you poor very quickly. Soon you will have nothing, as if a thief broke in and took everything away.