24

  1Tsw xob khib cov tuabneeg phem,
   tsw xob ntshaw nrug puab nyob ua ke,
  2tsua qhov puab lub sab
   ntaus tswvyim ua nruj ua tswv,
  hab puab daim tawv ncauj
   has tej lug kws yuav moog ua phem.

  3Swv tswvyim txhad ua tau lub tsev,
   hab muaj kev thoob tswb to nrog
   ua lub tsev nyob ruaj khov.
  4Hab muaj kev txawj ntse
   txhad ua rua tej chaav tsev
  muaj cuab txhaj cuab taam
   zoo zoo nkauj puv nkaus.
  5Tug kws muaj tswvyim muaj zug heev,
   tug kws txawj ntse kuj muaj zug tuaj.
  6Yog muaj cov txawj ntse qha
   mas koj txhad nqeg teg ua rog tau,
  hab muaj ntau leej ua chaw sablaaj
   koj txhad kov yeej.
  7Tswvyim nyob sab dhau tug ruag,
   ntawm lub rooj loog
   nwg tsw rua qhov ncauj has.

  8Tug kws ntaus tswvyim ua phem
   luas yuav hu tas tug thaab plaub.
  9Qhov kws ntaus tswvyim
   ua tej yaam ruag kuj txhum,
  hab tug kws thuaj luag
   yog tug kws tuabneeg ntxub kawg.

  10Yog koj poob sab nthaav
   rua nub kws koj raug ceblaaj,
   koj kuj tsw muaj zug.
  11Ca le cawm cov kws
   raug caab moog tua kuas dim,
  ca le paab tug kws raug caab
   nrhaaj nrhuj nrheev moog tua kuas dim.
  12Yog koj has tas,
   “Peb tsw paub zaaj nuav le,”
  mas Vaajtswv kws tshuaj saib lub sab
   yuav tsw pum lov?
  Tug kws zuv rawv koj tug ntsuj plig
   tsw paub hab lov?
  Nwg yuav tsw pauj rua tuabneeg
   lawv le puab tau ua lug lawm lov?

  13Kuv tub 'e, ca le noj zwb ntaab
   vem yog yaam kws zoo,
  hab zwb ntaab kws nrug ntawm lub tsev ntaab
   kuj qaab zwb heev.
  14Yuav tsum paub tas tswvyim
   zoo ib yaam le ntawd rua koj tug ntsuj plig,
  yog koj tau tswvyim, koj lub hauv ntej yuav zoo
   hab koj yuav tsw nplaam tej kws koj vaam.

  15Tsw xob zuv tog nrhw
   ib yaam le tej tuabneeg limham
  kws yuav lws tug ncaaj nceeg lub tsev,
   tsw xob ua nruj ua tswv rua nwg lub tsev,
  16tsua qhov tug ncaaj nceeg
   txawm qaug xyaa zag los tseed sawv lug hab,
  tassws tug tuabneeg limham
   raug vej sub vej sw muab ntxuav pov tseg.

  17Tsw xob zoo sab xyiv faab
   rua thaus koj tug yeeb ncuab qaug,
   hab tsw xob zoo sab rua thaus nwg dawm,
  18ntshai tsaam Yawmsaub pum
   tes yuav tsw txaus sab
  hab nwg yuav thim qhov kws nwg npau tawg
   rua koj tug yeeb ncuab.

  19Koj tsw xob nyuaj sab
   rua tej tuabneeg kws ua phem
   hab tsw xob khib cov kws ua limham,
  20tsua qhov tug tuabneeg phem
   tsw muaj lub hauv ntej zoo,
  hab tug tuabneeg limham lub teeb
   yuav raug muab tua.

  21Kuv tub 'e, ca le fwm hab paub ntshai
   Yawmsaub hab vaajntxwv,
  tsw xob nrug tej tuabneeg kws faav xeeb
   ua ib lub sab,
  22tsua qhov ob tug yuav ua
   vej sub vej sw tshwm lug sai sai,
  mas leejtwg yuav paub tej kev puam tsuaj
   kws ob tug ua?

Tej lug ntuag ntxwv

  23Tej lug nuav yog cov kws muaj tswvyim has.
   Qhov kws saib dej ua ntu saib tuabneeg plhu
   mas tsw zoo le.
  24Tug kws has rua tug tuabneeg limham tas,
   “Koj tsw txhum,”
  mas yuav raug tej pejxeem tshev foom
   hab raug tej tebchaws ntxub.
  25Tassws cov kws qhuab ntuag
   tug tuabneeg limham
  yuav tau nyob kaaj sab
   hab yuav tau koob moov.
  26Tug kws teb lu lug tseeb
   mas zoo le nwj daim tawv ncauj.
  27Ca le npaaj koj tej daag num saab nrau
   hab ua txhua yaam kuas txhwj huv koj daim teb,
   dhau ntawd kuj ua koj lub tsev.
  28Tsw xob laam ua timkhawv
   tum koj kwvtij zej zog kws tsw tau ua txhum,
   hab koj daim tawv ncauj tsw xob daag.
  29Tsw xob has tas, “Kuv yuav ua rua nwg
   yaam le nwg tau ua rua kuv lawm,
   kuv yuav ua pauj tej kws nwg tub ua lawm.”
  30Kuv hlaa huv tug cis nkeeg daim teb
   hab tug tsw thoob tswb lub vaaj txwv maab,
  31ua cav xuav paug tuaj puv nkaus,
   nroj tsuag tuaj ntum quas nti,
   hab tej ntsaa laaj kaab pob zeb pob taag.
  32Kuv pum hab ua tuab zoo xaav,
   kuv saib ntsoov
   mas kuv txhad tau kev qhuab qha.
  33Tsaug ib nyuas tswg zug,
   ib nyuas qe muag, khawm teg su ib plag,
  34mas txujkev pluag yuav lug txug koj
   yaam nkaus le tub saab tuaj lws,
  hab kev txom nyem yuav lug
   yaam nkaus le tug coj ntaaj coj rag tuaj lws.

24

  1Do not be envious of evil men,
   Nor desire to be with them;
   2For their heart devises violence,
   And their lips talk of troublemaking.
  3Through wisdom a house is built,
   And by understanding it is established;
   4By knowledge the rooms are filled
   With all precious and pleasant riches.
  5A wise man is strong,
   Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
   6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
   And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
  7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
   He does not open his mouth in the gate.
  8He who plots to do evil
   Will be called a schemer.
   9The devising of foolishness is sin,
   And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
  10If you faint in the day of adversity,
   Your strength is small.
  11Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
   And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
   12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
   Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?
   He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
   And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
  13My son, eat honey because it is good,
   And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
   14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
   If you have found it, there is a prospect,
   And your hope will not be cut off.
  15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
   Do not plunder his resting place;
   16For a righteous man may fall seven times
   And rise again,
   But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
  17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
   And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
   18Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
   And He turn away His wrath from him.
   19Do not fret because of evildoers,
   Nor be envious of the wicked;
   20For there will be no prospect 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 given to change;
   22For their calamity will rise suddenly,
   And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

23These things also belong to the wise:
  It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
   24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
   Him the people will curse;
   Nations will abhor him.
   25But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
   And a good blessing will come upon them.
  26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
  27Prepare your outside work,
   Make it fit for yourself in the field;
   And afterward build your house.
  28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
   For would you deceive with your lips?
   29Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
   I will render to the man according to his work.”
  30I went by the field of the lazy man,
   And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
   31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
   Its surface was covered with nettles;
   Its stone wall was broken down.
   32When I saw it, I considered it well;
   I looked on it and received instruction:
   33A little sleep, a little slumber,
   A little folding of the hands to rest;
   34So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
   And your need like an armed man.