Proverbs 25
1 These are the miscellaneous instructions of Solomon, which the friends of Ezekias king of Judea 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 The glory of God conceals a matter: but the glory of a king honors business.
[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 Heaven is high, and earth is deep, and a king's heart 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 Beat the drossy silver, and it shall be made entirely pure.
[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 Slay the ungodly from before the king, and his throne shall prosper 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 Be not boastful in the presence of the king, and remain not in the places of princes;
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 for you that it should be said, Come up to me, than that [one] should humble you in the presence of the prince; speak of that which your 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 Get not suddenly into a quarrel, lest you repent at last.
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 Whenever your friend shall reproach you, retreat backward, despise [him] not;
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 your friend continue to reproach you, so your quarrel and enmity shall not depart, but shall be to you like death. Favour and friendship set [a man] free, which do you keep for yourself, lest you be made liable to reproach; but take heed to your ways peaceably.
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 [As] a golden apple in a necklace of sardius, so [is it] to speak a [wise] word.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 In an ear-ring of gold a precious sardius is also set; [so is] a wise word to 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 a fall of snow in the time of harvest is good against heat, so a faithful messenger [refreshes] those that send him; for he helps the souls of his employers.
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 winds and clouds and rains are most evident [objects], so is he that boasts of a false gift.
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 In longsuffering is prosperity to kings, and a soft tongue breaks the bones.
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 Having found honey, eat [only] what is enough, lest haply you be filled, and vomit it up.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Enter sparingly into your friend's house, lest he be satiated with your company, 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 [As] a club, and a dagger, and a pointed arrow, so also is a man who bears false witness against his friend.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 The way of the wicked and the foot of the transgressor shall perish in an evil day.
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 vinegar is bad for a sore, so trouble befalling the body afflicts the heart. As a moth in a garment, and a worm in wood, so the grief of a man hurts the 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 enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 for so doing you shall heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward you [with] good.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 The north wind raises clouds; so an impudent face provokes the 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 on a corner of the roof, than with a railing woman in an open 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 is agreeable to a thirsting soul, so is a good message from a land far off.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 As if one should stop a well, and corrupt a spring of water, so [is it] unseemly for a righteous man to fall before an ungodly man.
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; but it is right to honor venerable sayings.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 As a city whose walls are broken down, and which is unfortified, so is a man who does anything without counsel.
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].
