Proverbs 25
1 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].
These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
2 [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.
[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings [is] to search out a matter.
3 [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.
The heaven for hight, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable.
4 [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.
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
5 [Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
6 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; )
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men]:
7 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].
For better [it is] that it be said to thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldst be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thy eyes have seen.
8 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]
Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
9 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].
Debate thy cause with thy neighbor [himself]; and reveal not a secret to another:
10 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).
Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and thy infamy turn not away.
11 Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver.
12 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.
[As] an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, [so is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
13 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.
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.
14 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.
Whoever boasteth himself of a false gift [is like] clouds and wind without rain.
15 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].
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
16 If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled with it, and vomit it.
17 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.
Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor's house; lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee.
18 To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 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.
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
20 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.
[As] he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, [and as] vinegar upon nitre; so [is] he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
If thy enemy shall hunger, give him bread to eat; and if he shall thirst, give him water to drink:
22 doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD will reward thee.
23 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.
The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
24 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.
[It is] better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
25 Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
[As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, so [is] good news from a far country.
26 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.
A righteous man falling down before the wicked [is as] a turbid fountain, and a corrupt spring.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
[It is] not good to eat much honey: so [for men] to search their own glory [is not] glory.
28 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].
He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls.
