Proverbs 25
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the scribes of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, collected.
2 God's greatness is in doing things that can't be known, while the greatness of kings is in revealing things.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But it is the glory of kings to search out a matter.
3 Just as the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth can't be known, the king's thinking can't be known.
As the heavens for their height, And as the earth for its depth, So is the heart of kings unsearchable!
4 Remove the waste from the silver, and the silversmith has pure silver to work with.
Take away the dross from the silver, And there will come forth a vessel for the founder;
5 Remove the wicked from the king's presence and the king will rule securely and justly.
Take away the wicked man from the presence of the king, And his throne will be established by righteousness.
6 Don't try to make yourself look great before the king, and don't pretend to be among the important people,
Put not thyself forth in the presence of the king, Nor set thyself in the place of the great;
7 for it's better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be humiliated before a nobleman. Even though you've seen something with your own eyes,
For better is it that one should say to thee, “Come up hither!” Than that he should put thee in a lower place, In the presence of the prince whom thine eyes behold.
8 don't rush to take legal action, for what are you going to do in the end when your neighbor shows you're wrong and humiliates you?
Go not forth hastily to engage in a suit, Lest thou know not what to do in the end of it, When thine adversary hath put thee to shame.
9 Discuss the case with your neighbor himself, and don't betray someone else's secret,
Maintain thy cause with thine adversary, But reveal not another's secret;
10 otherwise whoever hears it will make you ashamed and you'll never lose your bad reputation.
Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, And thy infamy depart not from thee.
11 Advice given at the right time is like golden apples set in silver.
A word spoken in season Is like apples of gold in figured-work of silver.
12 Constructive criticism from the wise to someone who listens is like a gold ring and a necklace of fine gold.
As a ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover to an attentive ear.
13 Faithful messengers are as refreshing to their master as cold snow on a hot harvest day.
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the spirit of his masters.
14 Someone who boasts about a gift they never give is like cloud and wind without rain.
As clouds and wind without rain, So is the man that boasteth falsely of giving.
15 If you're patient you can persuade your superior, and soft words can break down opposition.
By long forbearing is a prince appeased; And a soft tongue breaketh bones.
16 If you find honey, eat just enough, for if you eat too much, you'll be sick.
Hast thou found honey? eat what is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be surfeited with it, and vomit it up.
17 Don't set foot in your neighbors' homes too often, otherwise they'll get fed up with you and hate you.
Let thy foot be seldom in the house of thy friend, Lest he be surfeited with thee and hate thee.
18 Telling lies in court against a friend is like attacking them with a mace, or a sword, or an arrow.
A battle-hammer, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, Is the man who beareth false witness against his neighbor.
19 Trusting in unreliable people in times of trouble is like eating with a broken tooth or walking on a bad foot.
As a broken tooth, and a wavering foot, So is trust in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.
20 Singing happy songs to someone who's broken-hearted is like taking off your coat on a cold day, or pouring vinegar onto an open wound.
As he that taketh off a garment on a cold day, As vinegar upon nitre, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he's thirsty, give him a drink of water.
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 This will make him ashamed as if he had burning coals piled on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And the LORD will reward thee.
23 In the same way that the north wind brings rain, slandering people makes them angry.
As the north wind bringeth forth rain, So a backbiting tongue maketh an angry countenance.
24 It's better to live in a corner of a housetop than to share a whole house with an argumentative wife.
Better is it to dwell in a corner of the housetop, Than with a quarrelsome woman in a large house.
25 Good news from a distant country is like cold water to an exhausted traveler.
As cold water to the thirsty, So is good news from a far country.
26 Good people who give in to the wicked are like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
As a troubled fountain, and as a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man falling before the wicked.
27 It's not good to eat too much honey, or to want too much praise.
To eat much honey is not good; So the search of high things is weariness.
28 Someone without control is as exposed as a town whose walls have been breached.
As a city broken through and without a wall, So is he that hath no rule over his spirit.
