Proverbs 25
1 These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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 conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.
[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 for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable.
[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 dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
[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 the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established 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 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men: ]
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 better [it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
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 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee 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 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour [himself; ] and discover not a secret to 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 Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not 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 fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 [As] an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, [so is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
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 harvest, [so is] a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
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 Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift [is like] clouds 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 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
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 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee.
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 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour [is] a maul, 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 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
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 [As] he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, [and as] vinegar upon nitre, so [is] he that singeth songs to an heavy 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 thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
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 dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and 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 waters to a thirsty 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 A righteous man falling down before the wicked [is as] a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
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 eat much honey: so [for men] to search their own glory [is not] glory.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls.
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].
