Proverbs 25

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.