Proverbs 25
1 These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied out by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 It is the glory of God to keep a thing secret: but the glory of kings is to have it searched out.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 The heaven is high and the earth is deep, and the hearts of kings may not be searched out.
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 Take away the waste from silver, and a vessel will come out for the silver-worker.
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 Take away evil-doers from before the king, and the seat of his power will be made strong in righteousness.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Do not take glory for yourself before the king, and do not put yourself in the place of the great:
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 For it is better to have it said to you, Come up here; than for you to be put down in a lower place before the ruler.
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 Do not be quick to go to law about what you have seen, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbour has put you to shame?
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Have a talk with your neighbour himself about your cause, but do not give away the secret of another:
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 Or your hearer may say evil of you, and your shame will not be turned away.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 A word at the right time is like apples of gold in a network of silver.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Like a nose-ring of gold and an ornament of the best gold, is a wise man who says sharp words to an ear ready to give attention.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 As the cold of snow in the time of grain-cutting, so is a true servant to those who send him; for he gives new life to the soul of his master.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 As clouds and wind without rain, so is one who takes credit for an offering he has not given.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 A judge is moved by one who for a long time undergoes wrongs without protest, and by a soft tongue even bone is broken.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 If you have honey, take only as much as is enough for you; for fear that, being full of it, you may not be able to keep it down.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Let not your foot be frequently in your neighbour's house, or he may get tired of you, and his feeling be turned to hate.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 One who gives false witness against his neighbour is a hammer and a sword and a sharp arrow.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Putting one's faith in a false man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a shaking foot.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 Like one who takes off clothing in cold weather and like acid on a wound, is he who makes melody to a sad heart.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 If your hater is in need of food, give him bread; and if he is in need of drink, give him water:
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 For so you will put coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will give you your reward.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 As the north wind gives birth to rain, so is an angry face caused by a tongue saying evil secretly.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 It is better to be living in an angle of the house-top, than with a bitter-tongued woman in a wide house.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 As cold water to a tired soul, so is good news from a far country.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Like a troubled fountain and a dirty spring, is an upright man who has to give way before evil-doers.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 It is not good to take much honey: so he who is not looking for honour will be honoured.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 He whose spirit is uncontrolled is like an unwalled town which has been broken into.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
