Precepts and Warnings

1Do not be envious of evil men,
         Nor desire to be with them;

2For their minds devise violence,
         And their lips talk of trouble.

3By wisdom a house is built,
         And by understanding it is established;

4And by knowledge the rooms are filled
         With all precious and pleasant riches.

5A wise man is strong,
         And a man of knowledge increases power.

6For by wise guidance you will wage war,
         And in abundance of counselors there is victory.

7Wisdom is too exalted for a fool,
         He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8One who plans to do evil,
         Men will call a schemer.

9The devising of folly is sin,
         And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10If you are slack in the day of distress,
         Your strength is limited.

11Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
         And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

12If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
         Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
         And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
         And will He not render to man according to his work?

13My son, eat honey, for it is good,
         Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;

14Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
         If you find it, then there will be a future,
         And your hope will not be cut off.

15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
         Do not destroy his resting place;

16For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
         But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
         And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

18Or the LORD will see it and be displeased,
         And turn His anger away from him.

19Do not fret because of evildoers
         Or be envious of the wicked;

20For there will be no future for the evil man;
         The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21My son, fear the LORD and the king;
         Do not associate with those who are given to change,

22For their calamity will rise suddenly,
         And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

23These also are sayings of the wise.
         To show partiality in judgment is not good.

24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
         Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;

25But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
         And a good blessing will come upon them.

26He kisses the lips
         Who gives a right answer.

27Prepare your work outside
         And make it ready for yourself in the field;
         Afterwards, then, build your house.

28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
         And do not deceive with your lips.

29Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
         I will render to the man according to his work.”

30I passed by the field of the sluggard
         And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,

31And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles;
         Its surface was covered with nettles,
         And its stone wall was broken down.

32When I saw, I reflected upon it;
         I looked, and received instruction.

33“A little sleep, a little slumber,
         A little folding of the hands to rest,”

34Then your poverty will come as a robber
         And your want like an armed man.

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Seek not to be like evil men, neither desire to be with them:

Darby Bible Translation
Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;

English Revised Version
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

World English Bible
Don't be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

Young's Literal Translation
Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.The Sluggard's Garden
'I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31. And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.'--PROVERBS xxiv. 30, 31. This picture of the sluggard's garden seems to be intended as a parable. No doubt its direct simple meaning is full of homely wisdom in full accord with the whole tone of the Book of Proverbs; but we shall scarcely do justice to this saying of the wise …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Broken Fence
A sermon (No. 3381) published on Thursday, November 20th 1913. Delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and to, 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."--Proverbs 24:30-32. This slothful man did no hurt to his fellow-men: …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Sluggard's Farm
A sermon (No. 2027) intended for reading on Lord's Day, June 3rd 1888, delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. "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."--Proverbs 24:30-32. No doubt Solomon was sometimes glad …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Epistle xxxvi. To Maximus, Bishop of Salona .
To Maximus, Bishop of Salona [113] . Gregory to Maximus, &c. When our common son the presbyter Veteranus came to the Roman city, he found me so weak from the pains of gout as to be quite unable to answer thy Fraternity's letters myself. And indeed with regard to the nation of the Sclaves [114] , from which you are in great danger, I am exceedingly afflicted and disturbed. I am afflicted as suffering already in your suffering: I am disturbed, because they have already begun to enter Italy by way …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Portrait of a Drunkyard
'Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30. They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34. Yea, thou shalt be as …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

2 Cor. Iii. 5
Not that we are sufficient of our selves, to think any thing as of our selves: but our Sufficiency is of God. IN my former Discourse upon these Words, I shewed you that it was the sole Design of St. Paul in them, to declare, that, in the setting about, and executing, the difficult and laborious Work of an Apostle, He did not arrogate to himself the Power, and Ability, and Success, which he had: but that he ascribed his Sufficiency for this great Work, as well as his being designed to it, to God himself, …
Benjamin Hoadly—Several Discourses Concerning the Terms of Acceptance with God

How to Make Use of Christ for Taking the Guilt of Our Daily Out-Breakings Away.
The next part of our sanctification is in reference to our daily failings and transgressions, committed partly through the violence of temptations, as we see in David and Peter, and other eminent men of God; partly through daily infirmities, because of our weakness and imperfections; for, "in many things we offend all," James iii. 2; and, "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," 1 John i. 8; "a righteous man falleth seven times," Prov. xxiv. 16; "there is not …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Necessity of Actual Grace
In treating of the necessity of actual grace we must avoid two extremes. The first is that mere nature is absolutely incapable of doing any thing good. This error was held by the early Protestants and the followers of Baius and Jansenius. The second is that nature is able to perform supernatural acts by its own power. This was taught by the Pelagians and Semipelagians. Between these two extremes Catholic theology keeps the golden mean. It defends the capacity of human nature against Protestants and …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

Meditations on the Hindrances which Keep Back a Sinner from the Practice of Piety.
Those hindrances are chiefly seven:-- I. An ignorant mistaking of the true meaning of certain places of the holy Scriptures, and some other chief grounds of Christian religion. The Scriptures mistaken are these: 1. Ezek. xxxiii. 14, 16, "At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin, I will blot out all," &c. Hence the carnal Christian gathers, that he may repent when he will. It is true, whensoever a sinner does repent, God will forgive; but the text saith not, that a sinner may repent whensoever …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

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