Proverbs 25
1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed:
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 [is] to hide a thing, And the glory 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 heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings—[are] 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 dross from silver, And a vessel goes forth for the refiner,
[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 before a king, And his throne is 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 Do not honor yourself before a king, And do not stand in the place of the great.
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 [that] he has said to you, “Come up here,” Than [that] he humbles you before a noble, Whom 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 Do not go forth to strive, hurry, turn, What do you do in its latter end, When your neighbor causes you to blush?
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 Plead your cause with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret counsel of 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 the hearer put you to shame, And your evil report not turn back.
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 Apples of gold in imagery of silver, [Is] the word spoken at its fit times.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, [Is] the wise reprover to an attentive 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 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.
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 Clouds and wind without rain, [Is] a man boasting himself in 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 A ruler is persuaded by long-suffering, And a soft tongue breaks a 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 You have found honey—eat your sufficiency, Lest you are satiated [with] it, and have vomited it.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Withdraw your foot from your neighbor’s house, Lest he is satiated [with] you, and has hated 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 A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, [Is] the man testifying a false testimony against his neighbor.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, [Is] the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity.
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 Whoever is taking away a garment in a cold day, [Is as] vinegar on natron, And a singer of songs on a sad 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 he who is hating you hungers, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirsts, cause him to drink water.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 For you are putting coals on his head, And YHWH gives repayment to you.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 A north wind brings forth rain, And a secret tongue—indignant faces.
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 Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than [with] a woman of contentions, and a house of company.
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 for a weary soul, So [is] a good report 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 spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked.
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 The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one’s own honor—honor.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 A city broken down without walls, [Is] a man without restraint over his spirit!
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].
