1
Do not envy evil people,
do not desire to be with them.
2
For their hearts devise oppression,
and their lips speak of trouble.
3
By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4
and by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures.
5
A wise man is more powerful than a strong man,
also a man of knowledge than one who is mighty in strength.
6
For only with planning can you wage war,
and victory depends on many counselors.
7
Wisdom is too high for a fool;
he does not open his mouth at the gate.
8
Whoever is always planning evil
will be called a schemer.
9
The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to people.
10
If you lose heart in the day of trouble,
your strength is small.
11
Deliver those who are taken away to be killed;
save those who are staggering toward the place of execution.
12
If you say, “Indeed, we did not know this!”
Does not He who weighs the heart understand it?
Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will He not repay a person according to his deeds?
13
My son, eat honey, for it is good;
and the drippings of honey are sweet to your palate.
14
Know that wisdom is like this for your soul:
if you find it, then there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15
Do not lie in wait at the dwelling of the righteous like the wicked;
do not destroy his home.
16
For though the righteous falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked will stumble in calamity.
17
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18
lest the LORD see it and consider it evil,
and turn His anger away from him.
19
Do not be angry because of evildoers,
do not envy the wicked.
20
For there is no future for the evildoer;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21
My son, fear the LORD and the king;
do not rebel against either of them.
22
For suddenly they bring disaster,
and who knows the ruin they can bring?
23
These also are sayings of the wise.
Partiality in judgment is not good.
24
Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by the peoples, condemned by the nations.
25
But those who give warning will be happy;
they will receive a blessing of reward.
26
He who gives a right answer
kisses the lips.
27
Prepare your work outside,
and make it ready in the field;
afterward, build your house.
28
Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29
Do not say, “As he has dealt with me, so I will deal with him.
I will repay the man according to his deed.”
30
I passed by the field of a sluggard,
and by the vineyard of a man lacking understanding.
31
And behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its wall was broken down.
32
Then I looked, I considered it well;
I saw it and received instruction.
33
“A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to lie down,”
34
then poverty will come like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
🏗️🛡️🧠 Summary of Proverbs 24 – Wisdom Building Life, Response to Enemies, and Strength in Hard Times
Proverbs 24 is a call to live in wisdom, moral courage, and perseverance. This chapter advises not to envy the wicked, to rely on strength in the Lord, and not to rejoice when an enemy falls. The life of the righteous does not mean there are no setbacks, but always rising again.
📌 1. Do Not Envy the Wicked (verses 1–2, 19–20)
“Do not envy those who do evil, and do not desire to be with them…”
- The wicked will perish; their future will vanish
- Their way is full of violence and deceit
🎯 Focus on the path of righteousness, not on evil achievements that quickly fade away.
📌 2. Wisdom Builds the House of Life (verses 3–4)
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”
- Households, work, and spiritual life need a foundation of wisdom
- Knowledge enriches life, not only possessions
🎯 Build your life not with ambition, but with wisdom from the Lord.
📌 3. Inner Strength in the Day of Trouble (verse 10)
“If you faint in the day of trouble, your strength is small.”
- Hard days test a person’s strength of faith and mind
- Do not give up — difficult times are precisely the time to grow
🎯 Perseverance under pressure = evidence of spiritual maturity.
📌 4. The Righteous Fall and Rise Again (verse 16)
“For though the righteous fall seven times, yet he rises again…”
- Failure is not the end
- What sets the righteous apart is the willingness to rise again
🎯 Falling is not identity — rising is the sign of true faith.
📌 5. Do Not Rejoice When an Enemy Falls (verses 17–18)
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls…”
- The Lord notices a heart that delights in another’s suffering
- Forgiveness and love must remain the priority
🎯 Our reaction to enemies tests the depth of our grace.
📌 6. Rebuke Evil, Do Not Keep Silent (verses 11–12, 23–25)
“Rescue those who are being led away to death…”
- Moral responsibility: defend the oppressed
- One must not pretend not to know when injustice occurs
- An unjust judge will be despised
🎯 A wise person is not neutral in matters of truth and justice.
📌 7. Laziness Destroys the Future (verses 30–34)
“I passed by the field of the sluggard… it was covered with thorns and nettles.”
- Laziness not only steals today, but robs the future
- Success does not come from sleeping, but from work and wisdom
🎯 Ruin often comes slowly from neglected habits.
📖 Main Teaching
- Life must be built on wisdom, not emotion or ambition
- The righteous are not without mistakes, but they always rise again
- Injustice must be opposed, not left alone
- Do not envy the wicked — their end is ruin
- Even an enemy must be loved — not celebrated in their fall
- Laziness brings ruin, while work and discipline build
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
“Let us not grow weary in doing good…”
“Blessed is the one who endures trial…”
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
🎯 Proverbs 24 aligns practical wisdom with the love of the Gospel — guiding us to live strongly, justly, and with forgiveness.
🕊️ “By wisdom a house is built…” – Proverbs 24:3
🕊️ “If you faint in the day of trouble…” – Proverbs 24:10
🕊️ “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” – Proverbs 24:16
🕊️ “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls…” – Proverbs 24:17
🕊️ “A little sleep… then poverty comes like a robber.” – Proverbs 24:33–34
