Read the Bible

¹ Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;

² for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

³ Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;

⁴ and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.

⁵ A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

⁶ For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

⁷ Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.

⁸ He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.

⁹ The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.

¹⁰ [If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.

¹¹ Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.

¹² If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.

¹³ Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:

¹⁴ so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

¹⁵ Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.

¹⁶ For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.

¹⁷ Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;

¹⁸ lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.

¹⁹ Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:

²⁰ for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

²¹ My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.

²² For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

²³ These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

²⁴ He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;

²⁵ but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.

²⁶ He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.

²⁷ Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.

²⁸ Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?

²⁹ Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.

³⁰ I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;

³¹ and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.

³² Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:

³³ —A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!

³⁴ So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.