Don't Be Jealous of the Villains — Modern Paraphrase | nocap.bible
Don't Be Jealous of the Villains.
Proverbs 24 — Why God might side with your enemy if you're petty about it
8 min read
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Key Takeaways
God might actually go easier on your enemy just because you were gloating about their downfall — schadenfreude is not the move, fr.
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You can't claim ignorance when people are suffering and you had the power to act — God sees through every excuse.
📢 Chapter 24 — Don't Be Jealous of the Villains 🧠
keeps the flowing. 24 is a collection of real talk about how to navigate a world full of people doing the wrong thing and seemingly getting away with it. The answer? Stay the course. Build smart. Stand up for what's right. And for the of everything, don't be lazy.
This chapter reads like a series of life lessons your wisest friend would text you at midnight — short, sharp, and impossible to argue with.
Stop Wanting What They Have 🚫
It's to look at people who cut corners and cheat the system and think, "Must be nice." But says don't even go there:
"Don't be jealous of people doing Evil. Don't even want to hang with them. Their hearts are plotting violence and their mouths are constantly stirring up drama."
Their whole operation is . The success you're envying? It's built on chaos and destruction. That's not a vibe — it's a trap. 🚩
Build Your Life With Wisdom 🏠
Now here's what actually works:
"A house is built by wisdom, established by understanding, and filled with good things through knowledge. A wise person is full of strength. A knowledgeable person levels up in power. With wise guidance you can win any battle, and with plenty of counselors there's victory."
And then the contrast:
"Wisdom is way too high for a fool — when it's time to speak up in the room where it matters, they've got nothing."
Real isn't just book smarts — it's the skill of building a life that actually lasts. Fools can't even contribute when it counts. 👑
Scheming Is an L 🎭
Short and sharp:
"Whoever makes plans to do evil — people will call them exactly what they are: a schemer. Planning foolishness is Sin, and the person who mocks everything is an abomination to everyone around them."
You might think nobody notices the plotting. They do. Your reputation tells on you eventually — caught in 4K. 👀
Show Up When It's Hard ⚡
This one hits different. goes from personal toughness to moral responsibility:
"If you fall apart when adversity hits, your strength was never real. Rescue those who are being dragged away to death. Hold back those stumbling toward slaughter."
Then he cuts off every excuse:
"If you say, 'We didn't know about it' — doesn't God, who weighs the heart, see right through that? He who watches over your soul knows. And He will repay everyone according to what they've done."
You can't claim ignorance when people are suffering and you had the power to act. God sees through every excuse. This is a issue, and He takes it seriously. 💯
Wisdom Is Honey for Your Soul 🍯
A sweet analogy — literally:
"My son, eat honey because it's good. The drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom does the same thing for your soul. If you find it, you have a future, and your hope won't be cut off."
The way honey hits your tongue? That's what does for your whole life. It's not just useful — it's genuinely satisfying. Find it, and you've secured a future worth having. ✨
The Righteous Always Get Back Up 💪
One of the most lines in all of Proverbs:
"Don't set traps against the home of a righteous person. Don't attack where they live. The righteous fall seven times and rise again — but the wicked stumble once when trouble hits and they're done."
Seven times down, seven times back up. That's not — that's resilience rooted in God. The wicked don't have that. One real crisis and they're cooked. 🪨
Don't Celebrate Your Enemy's Fall 🤐
This is counterintuitive but dead serious:
"Don't rejoice when your enemy falls. Don't let your heart be glad when they stumble — or the Lord will see it, be displeased, and actually turn His anger away from them."
Wait — God might go EASIER on your enemy because you were gloating? That's wild. But the point is real: your heart posture matters to God more than what happens to other people. Schadenfreude is not the move.
Don't Stress About the Wicked 🕯️
circles back to where he started:
"Don't lose sleep over evildoers, and don't be envious of the wicked. The evil person has no future. The lamp of the wicked will be put out."
Then practical advice:
"My son, fear the Lord and the king, and don't join up with people who rebel against either. Disaster will come suddenly from them — and who knows the ruin that both God and authority can bring?"
Their whole setup has an expiration date. Don't hitch your wagon to something destined to crash. Stay in your lane, fear God, and let the wicked self-destruct on their own timeline.
Keep It Real in Court ⚖️
A new section — "more sayings of the wise." And they start with :
"Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever tells the wicked 'You're in the right' will be cursed by whole nations. But those who rebuke the wicked will be blessed — good things will come to them."
Then this gem:
"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips."
No cap — honesty is that intimate and that valuable. In a world where people constantly tell you what you want to hear, the person who keeps it a hundred with you is the real one. Based. 🫶
Get Your Priorities Straight 🔨
One verse, maximum impact:
"Prepare your work outside and get everything ready in the field — and AFTER that, build your house."
Handle the income before the lifestyle. Get the foundation right before the flex. This is ancient financial wisdom that still slaps — don't build the house before you've secured the bag.
No Revenge, No False Witness 🚫
Two commands, one principle:
"Don't testify against your neighbor without cause, and don't deceive with your lips."
And then:
"Don't say, 'I'll do to him what he did to me. I'll pay him back for what he's done.'"
Revenge is not your . and honesty are. The moment you start scheming payback, you've become the person warned about in verse 8. Let God handle the scoreboard. 🕊️
The Lazy Person's Field Trip 🌿
closes with a visual from his own experience:
"I walked past the field of a lazy person, past the vineyard of someone with no sense. And look — it was completely overgrown with thorns. The ground was covered in weeds. The stone wall was broken down."
He didn't just look — he thought about it:
"I saw it and learned a lesson. I looked and received instruction: 'A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands...' and poverty will come at you like a robber. Want will hit you like an armed man."
The deterioration wasn't dramatic. It was slow. A little snooze here, a little procrastination there. And then one day everything's fallen apart. The scariest part? Nobody decided to fail — they just decided to ... and never stopped. That's lowkey the most relatable warning in all of Proverbs. 😬