Proverbs 25
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the scribes 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 God's greatness is in doing things that can't be known, while the greatness of kings is in revealing things.
[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 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.
[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 Remove the waste from the silver, and the silversmith has pure silver to work with.
[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 Remove the wicked from the king's presence and the king will rule securely and justly.
[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 Don't try to make yourself look great before the king, and don't pretend to be among the important people,
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'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,
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 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?
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 Discuss the case with your neighbor himself, and don't betray someone else's secret,
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 otherwise whoever hears it will make you ashamed and you'll never lose your bad reputation.
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 Advice given at the right time is like golden apples set in silver.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Constructive criticism from the wise to someone who listens is like a gold ring and a necklace of fine gold.
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 Faithful messengers are as refreshing to their master as cold snow on a hot harvest day.
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 Someone who boasts about a gift they never give is like cloud and wind without rain.
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 If you're patient you can persuade your superior, and soft words can break down opposition.
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 find honey, eat just enough, for if you eat too much, you'll be sick.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Don't set foot in your neighbors' homes too often, otherwise they'll get fed up with you and hate you.
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 Telling lies in court against a friend is like attacking them with a mace, or a sword, or an arrow.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting in unreliable people in times of trouble is like eating with a broken tooth or walking on a bad 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 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.
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 enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he's thirsty, give him a drink of water.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 This will make him ashamed as if he had burning coals piled on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 In the same way that the north wind brings rain, slandering people makes them angry.
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's better to live in a corner of a housetop than to share a whole house with an argumentative wife.
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 Good news from a distant country is like cold water to an exhausted traveler.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Good people who give in to the wicked are like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
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's not good to eat too much honey, or to want too much praise.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Someone without control is as exposed as a town whose walls have been breached.
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].
