Proverbs 25

1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed:

2 The glory of God [is] to hide a thing, And the glory of kings [is] to search out a matter.

3 The heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings—[are] unsearchable.

4 Take away dross from silver, And a vessel goes forth for the refiner,

5 Take away the wicked before a king, And his throne is established in righteousness.

6 Do not honor yourself before a king, And do not stand in the place of the great.

7 For better [that] he has said to you, “Come up here,” Than [that] he humbles you before a noble, Whom your eyes have seen.

8 Do not go forth to strive, hurry, turn, What do you do in its latter end, When your neighbor causes you to blush?

9 Plead your cause with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret counsel of another,

10 Lest the hearer put you to shame, And your evil report not turn back.

11 Apples of gold in imagery of silver, [Is] the word spoken at its fit times.

12 A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, [Is] the wise reprover to an attentive ear.

13 As a vessel of snow in a day of harvest, [So is] a faithful ambassador to those sending him, And he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Clouds and wind without rain, [Is] a man boasting himself in a false gift.

15 A ruler is persuaded by long-suffering, And a soft tongue breaks a bone.

16 You have found honey—eat your sufficiency, Lest you are satiated [with] it, and have vomited it.

17 Withdraw your foot from your neighbor’s house, Lest he is satiated [with] you, and has hated you.

18 A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, [Is] the man testifying a false testimony against his neighbor.

19 A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, [Is] the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity.

20 Whoever is taking away a garment in a cold day, [Is as] vinegar on natron, And a singer of songs on a sad heart.

21 If he who is hating you hungers, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirsts, cause him to drink water.

22 For you are putting coals on his head, And YHWH gives repayment to you.

23 A north wind brings forth rain, And a secret tongue—indignant faces.

24 Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than [with] a woman of contentions, and a house of company.

25 [As] cold waters for a weary soul, So [is] a good report from a far country.

26 A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked.

27 The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one’s own honor—honor.

28 A city broken down without walls, [Is] a man without restraint over his spirit!