Proverbs 25–26

These are also ^aproverbs of Solomon, which ^bthe men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

²It is the glory of God ^cto conceal a thing:

But the honour of kings is ^dto search out a matter.

³The heaven for height, and the earth for depth,

And the heart of kings is unsearchable.

^4eTake away ^fthe dross from the silver,

And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

^5eTake away ^gthe wicked from before the king,

And ^hhis throne shall be established in righteousness.

⁶Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,

And ⁱstand not in the place of great men:

^7jFor 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

^kWhom thine eyes have seen.

^8lGo not forth hastily to strive,

Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,

When thy neighbour hath ^llput thee to shame.

^9mDebate thy cause with thy neighbour himself;

And discover not a secret to another:

¹⁰Lest he that heareth it ⁿput thee to shame,

And thine infamy turn not away.

^11oA word fitly spoken

Is like ^papples of gold in ^qpictures of silver.

¹²As ^ran earring of gold, and an ^sornament of ^tfine gold,

^uSo is a wise reprover upon an ^xobedient ear.

¹³As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,

So is ^ya faithful messenger to them that send him:

For he refresheth the soul of his masters.

^14zWhoso boasteth himself of a false gift

Is like ^aclouds and wind without rain.

^15bBy ^clong forbearing is a ^dprince persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

^16eHast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee,

Lest thou be filled therewith, and ^fvomit it.

¹⁷Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house;

Lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

¹⁸A man that ^gbeareth false witness against his neighbour

Is a maul, and ^ha sword, and a ⁱsharp arrow.

¹⁹Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble

Is like a broken tooth, and ^ka foot out of joint.

²⁰As he that ^ltaketh away a garment in cold weather,

And as vinegar upon ^mnitre,

So is he ⁿthat singeth songs to a heavy heart.

^21oIf thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;

And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

²²For thou shalt ^pheap ^qcoals of fire upon his head,

And the Lord shall reward thee.

²³The north wind driveth away rain:

So doth an angry countenance a ^sbackbiting tongue.

^24tIt is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop,

^tThan with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

²⁵As cold waters ^uto a thirsty soul,

So is ^wgood news from a far country.

²⁶A righteous man ^xfalling down before the wicked

Is as a ^ytroubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.

^27zIt is not good to eat much honey:

^aSo for men ^bto search their own ^bcglory is not glory.

^28dHe that hath no rule over his own spirit

Is like a city that is ^ebroken down, and without walls.

XXVI.As snow in summer, and ^aas rain in harvest,

^bSo honour is not ^cseemly for a fool.

²As the ^dbird by wandering, as the ^dswallow by flying,

So ^ethe curse causeless shall not come.

^3fA whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,

And ^ga rod for the fools’ back.

^4hAnswer not a fool according to his folly,

Lest thou also be like unto him.

⁵ⁱAnswer a fool according to his folly,

Lest he be wise in his own conceit.

⁶He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool

Cutteth off the feet, and ^kdrinketh damage.

⁷The legs of the lame are not equal:

So is a ^lparable in the mouth of fools.

⁸As he that bindeth a stone in a sling,

^bSo is he that giveth honour to a fool.

⁹As ^ma thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,

So is a ^lparable in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰The great God that ⁿformed all things

Both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

¹¹As ^pa dog returneth to his vomit,

So ^qa fool returneth to his folly.

^12rSeest thou a man wise in his own conceit?

^sThere is more hope of a fool than of him.

^13tThe slothful man saith, There is ^ua lion in the way;

A lion is in the streets.

¹⁴As the door turneth upon his hinges,

So doth the slothful upon his bed.

^15wThe slothful hideth his hand in his bosom;

It grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser ^xin his own conceit

Than ^yseven men that can ^zrender a ^zzreason.

¹⁷He that passeth by, and ^ameddleth with strife belonging not to him,

Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

¹⁸As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,

¹⁹So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour,

And saith, Am not I in sport?

²⁰Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out:

So where there is no talebearer, ^bthe strife ceaseth.

²¹As ^ccoals are to ^dburning coals, and wood to fire;

So is ^ea contentious man to kindle strife.

^22fThe words of a talebearer are as wounds,

And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

^23gBurning lips and a wicked heart

Are like a potsherd ^hcovered with silver ⁱdross.

²⁴He that hateth ^kdissembleth with his lips,

And layeth up deceit within him;

^25lWhen he speaketh fair, believe him not:

For there are ^yseven abominations in his heart.

²⁶Whose hatred is covered by deceit,

His wickedness shall be ^mshewed ⁿbefore the whole congregation.

^27oWhoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein:

And he that rolleth a stone, it will ^preturn upon him.

²⁸A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it;

And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

XXVII.