Proverbs 24:23-34

Further Sayings of the Wise 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:

24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.

25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

27Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead?

29Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”

30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.