Veritable King James Version
1Do not envy the wicked, nor desire their company,
2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips speak trouble.
3By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
4through knowledge its rooms are filled with precious and pleasing treasures.
5A wise person is strong; one with knowledge grows in might.
6For by wise guidance you wage your war, and in many counselors there is victory.
7Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate they dare not speak.
8One who plots evil is called a schemer.
9The schemes of folly are sin, and people scorn a mocker.
10If you falter in times of trouble, your strength is small.
11Rescue those being led to death; save those staggering toward slaughter.
12If you say, “We knew nothing,” does not He who weighs hearts perceive it? He who guards your soul knows, and He will repay each according to their deeds.
13My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14So is wisdom to your soul; if you find it, there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15Do not lie in wait, O wicked one, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder their resting place.
16For the righteous fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked stumble in evil.
17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, nor let your heart be glad at their stumbling,
18lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn His anger from them.
19Do not fret over evildoers, nor envy the wicked,
20for the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21My child, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with rebels,
22for sudden calamity comes from them, and who knows the ruin of both?
23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24Whoever says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” peoples will curse them, nations will denounce them.
25But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.
26One who gives an honest answer kisses the lips.
27Prepare your work outside; make it ready in the field; then build your house.
28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, nor deceive with your lips.
29Do not say, “I will do to them as they did to me; I will repay them for their deeds.”
30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of one lacking sense,
31and behold, it was overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles, its stone wall broken down.
32I looked and considered it; I saw and received instruction:
33a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34and poverty comes like a prowler, and want like an armed person. Proverbs 25 The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 – VKJV
Translation notes
Verse 1’s al-t’qanne (“do not envy”) uses a Piel imperative, emphasizing strong prohibition against envying the wicked (rasha’im), a term denoting active unrighteousness; “company” renders the implied fellowship in chaver, aligning with inclusivity. Verse 2’s “devise violence” translates chamas, a term for destructive intent, paralleled with “trouble” (amal), indicating harmful speech; cross-reference Psalm 37:1 for similar warnings against envying evildoers. Verse 3’s “house” (bayit) symbolizes family or legacy, built by chokhmah (wisdom); “established” (kun) implies stability through tevunah (understanding). Verse 4’s “knowledge” (da’at) fills rooms with “precious and pleasing treasures” (kol-y’qar v’na’im), metaphorically denoting wisdom’s benefits; cross-reference Proverbs 3:14–15 for wisdom’s value. Theologically, these verses contrast the futility of wickedness with wisdom’s enduring rewards, rooted in covenantal principles. No significant Dead Sea Scrolls variants (e.g., 4Q103) alter this section, affirming Masoretic Text reliability.
Verse 5’s “wise person” translates geber chokhmah, with geber retained as gender-specific (“person” for inclusivity where possible, but here context suggests a male figure); “strong” and “might” render oz and koach, emphasizing wisdom’s empowerment. Verse 6’s “wise guidance” (tachbulot) implies strategic counsel, with “war” (milchamah) possibly literal or metaphorical; “many counselors” reflects rov yo’etz, promising victory (t’shu’ah); cross-reference Proverbs 20:18 for planning with counsel. Verse 7’s “too high” (ramah) indicates wisdom’s inaccessibility to the fool (evil), who is silent at the “gate” (sha’ar), the place of public discourse; theologically, this underscores wisdom’s divine origin (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:25). No notable Dead Sea Scrolls variants affect this section.
Verse 8’s “schemer” translates ba’al m’zimmot (lit. “master of schemes”), with zimmot denoting malicious intent. Verse 9’s “schemes of folly” (zimmot iwelet) links folly to sin (chatta’t), and “mocker” (letz) is scorned for derision; cross-reference Proverbs 1:22. Verse 10’s “falter” (rapah) implies weakness under pressure, with “small” (tzar) emphasizing limited resilience. Verse 11’s imperatives “rescue” (chaletz) and “save” (chashakh) urge intervention for the condemned, reflecting covenantal justice; cross-reference Psalm 82:4. Verse 12’s “He” capitalizes divine pronouns, with “weighs hearts” (taken levavot) and “guards your soul” (notzer nafsheka) affirming God’s omniscience and justice; “repay” (heshiv) echoes retribution theology (cf. Romans 2:6). No significant Dead Sea Scrolls variants noted.
Verse 13’s “honey” and “honeycomb” (d’vash, nofet) are literal but symbolize delightful wisdom; “good” and “sweet” reflect sensory appeal, paralleled in verse 14. Verse 14’s “wisdom to your soul” (chokhmah l’nafsheka) ties wisdom to spiritual vitality, with “future” (acharit) and “hope” (tiqvah) promising enduring reward; cross-reference Psalm 19:10 for wisdom’s sweetness. Theologically, this imagery underscores wisdom’s divine desirability, aligning with covenantal blessings. No notable Dead Sea Scrolls variants affect this section.
Verse 15’s “lie in wait” (al-t’erov) and “plunder” (al-t’shadded) use imperatives addressing the “wicked one” (rasha), with “dwelling” (naveh) and “resting place” (r’vatz) denoting the righteous’ security. Verse 16’s “seven times” signifies completeness, emphasizing the righteous’ resilience (qum, “rise again”) versus the wicked’s downfall (kashal); cross-reference Job 5:19 for deliverance imagery. Theologically, this reflects divine protection and justice (cf. Psalm 34:19). No significant Dead Sea Scrolls variants noted.
Verse 17’s “rejoice” (al-tismach) and “be glad” (al-yagel) prohibit gloating, with “enemy” (oyev) and “stumbling” (kashal) indicating personal foes. Verse 18’s “Lord” capitalizes the divine name, with “displeased” (ra’ah b’eynav, lit. “evil in His eyes”) and “turn His anger” (heshiv appo) suggesting divine justice; cross-reference Obadiah 1:12. Verse 19 echoes verse 1, with “fret” (al-titchar) and “envy” (al-t’qanne) reinforcing earlier warnings. Verse 20’s “no future” (ein acharit) and “lamp… snuffed out” (ner r’sha’im yid’akh) denote the wicked’s doom; cross-reference Proverbs 13:9. Theologically, this emphasizes humility and trust in divine retribution. No notable Dead Sea Scrolls variants affect this section.
Verse 21’s “fear” (yare) applies to both “Lord” (capitalized) and “king” (melekh), urging loyalty to divine and human authority; “rebels” translates shonim (lit. “those who change”), implying disloyalty. Verse 22’s “calamity” (ed) and “ruin” (pid) suggest swift judgment, with “both” likely referring to divine and royal retribution; cross-reference Romans 13:1–2 for submission to authorities. Theologically, this reflects covenantal order and divine sovereignty. No significant Dead Sea Scrolls variants noted.
Verse 23’s “sayings of the wise” marks a new section, with “partiality” (hakkar panim, lit. “recognize faces”) denoting biased judgment, deemed “not good” (lo-tov); cross-reference Leviticus 19:15. Verse 24’s “curse” (qalal) and “denounce” (za’am) reflect communal outrage at injustice. Verse 25’s “rebuke” (yokhiach) brings “delight” (na’im) and “blessing” (birkat tov), emphasizing just correction; cross-reference Proverbs 15:23. Verse 26’s “kisses the lips” is a metaphor for truthful speech’s value, with “honest answer” rendering davar yashar. Theologically, this upholds justice as a divine mandate. No notable Dead Sea Scrolls variants affect this section.
Verse 27’s “prepare” (haken) and “make ready” (takhin) emphasize diligent planning, with “house” (bayit) symbolizing family or legacy; the agricultural context suggests prioritizing provision. Verse 28’s “without cause” (chinnam) prohibits baseless accusations, with “deceive” (pattah) warning against false testimony; cross-reference Exodus 20:16. Verse 29 condemns retribution, with “repay” (ashiv) echoing verse 12 but rejecting vengeance; cross-reference Romans 12:17–19 for non-retaliation. Theologically, this promotes diligence, integrity, and forgiveness, reflecting covenantal ethics. No notable Dead Sea Scrolls variants noted.
Verse 30’s “sluggard” (ish atzel) and “lacking sense” (chasar lev) depict negligence. Verse 31’s “thorns” (qimmosh) and “nettles” (charul) symbolize neglect, with “broken down” (nittatz) indicating ruin. Verse 32’s “considered” (shith lev) and “received instruction” (laqach musar) emphasize learning from observation. Verses 33–34 repeat Proverbs 6:10–11, with “prowler” (mithallek) and “armed person” (ish magen) personifying poverty’s suddenness; cross-reference Proverbs 10:4. Theologically, this warns against laziness, promoting diligence as a covenantal virtue. No significant Dead Sea Scrolls variants affect this section.
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