Proverbs
Chapter 24
Do not envy the wicked or want to be with them,
because their hearts only think of violence and their mouths only speak evil.
With wisdom, a house is built.
It is reinforced by prudence. Its granaries are stocked with knowledge of all that is good, valuable, and desirable.
The wise man is powerful; the one of knowledge adds to his strength.
Because of this, he approaches battle with careful plans, since success relies on many advisers.
Wisdom is out of the fool’s reach; let him not speak in the assembly.
The villain is known as an unscrupulous mastermind.
The fool only dreams of sin, and the mocker merits only contempt.
If you lose heart when misfortune strikes, your strength is miserable.
Rescue those who are being led away to die; save those being dragged to torture.
Later, you will say: “We did not know.” But he who weighs the heart—does he not under-stand? He who watches over the soul is aware, and he will give to each person according to his deeds.
Eat honey, my son, because it is good; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
So will wisdom be to your soul as well. If you find it, you have a future, and your hope will not be disappointed.
Evildoer, do not spy on the home of the virtuous man; do not disturb his household.
Because even though the virtuous man falls seven times, he gets up again, while the wicked sink into their adversity.
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls or feel glad if he stumbles,
lest the Lord see it and become angry, and his anger will be directed at you.
Do not be angered by the wicked or jealous of the ungodly,
since there’s no future in evil, and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Fear the Lord and the king, my son; avoid making deals with agitators,
because disaster will come upon them suddenly, and no one knows when their ruin will occur.
FOURTH COLLECTION
It is not good for judges to show bias. People curse, and nations hate him
who says to the wicked man: “You are just.”
But those who punish wrongdoers can boast; they will have blessing and happiness.
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
Complete your work outside and coordinate your tasks in the fields; then, you can consider building your house.
Do not falsely accuse your neighbor or lie when bearing witness.
Avoid saying: “I will do to him what he did to me; I will repay him for his deeds.”
I passed by the lazy man’s field, near the vineyard of the careless man.
Everywhere, it was overgrown with weeds; thistles covered the ground, and the stone wall had fallen apart.
Seeing all this, I reflected and learned this lesson from what I observed.
A little sleep, a bit of drowsiness
and your laziness sneaks up on you, and then, like a tramp, poverty arrives, bringing misery like a vagabond.
Commentaries
Third and Fourth Collections.
The teacher of wisdom states that he will share a wealth of knowledge through thirty sayings, based on his experiences and direct observations of life and human behavior. There could be more or fewer than thirty; the key point is that this collection encompasses a variety of sayings that address numerous themes in human life. Neither this section nor any other in wisdom literature is a treatise on the systematic study of knowledge or a theory of how we know things; instead, it is an ancient method of educating children and young people in general, where simple “secrets” are shared to explain certain aspects of the human soul or to warn against specific wrong behaviors.
The observer recognizes that life must have a particular order and harmony, and that everything should be approached with common sense and prudence. While discovering the benefits of living an orderly life, one also sees the drawbacks of merely following instincts or being misled by other models of behavior that lead nowhere good. The father or elders of the community share this knowledge, gained from experience, with the younger generation; they correct and earnestly request that such correction be accepted willingly, because only those who love correction do so, and only those who feel loved recognize that correction is a good thing, a sign of support and even solidarity. This effort is also carried out by the wise men, who elevated the wisdom of the people to the highest levels of the court, making it a possession mostly exclusive to the aristocracy and those who can afford to pay for a good teacher. In this way, the role of wisdom in God’s plan was distorted, and the primary focus of justice was called into question.