Proverbs 25–27

HEZEKIAH’S COLLECTION

25These too are proverbs of Solomon,^f

which the men of King Hezekiah^g of Judah copied.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter^h

and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.

³As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,

so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

⁴Remove impurities from silver,ⁱ

and material will be produced for a silversmith.^Bj

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,^k

and his throne will be established in righteousness.^l

⁶Don’t boast about yourself before the king,

and don’t stand in the place of the great;

⁷for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”

than to demote you in plain view of a noble.^Cm

⁸Don’t take a matter to court hastily.ⁿ

Otherwise, what will you do afterward

if your opponent humiliates you?

⁹Make your case with your opponent

without revealing another’s secret;^o

¹⁰otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,

and you’ll never live it down.^B

¹¹A word spoken at the right time

is like gold apples in silver settings.^p

¹²A wise correction to a receptive ear^q

is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

¹³To those who send him, a trustworthy envoy

is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;

he refreshes the life of his masters.^r

¹⁴The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist

is like clouds and wind without rain.^s

¹⁵A ruler can be persuaded through patience,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone.^t

¹⁶If you find honey,^u eat only what you need;

otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.^v

¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;

otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.

¹⁸A person giving false testimony against his neighbor^w

is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.^x

¹⁹Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time

is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.^a

²⁰Singing songs to a troubled heart

is like taking off clothing on a cold day

or like pouring vinegar on soda.^Cb

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,^c

²²for you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.^d

²³The north wind produces rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

²⁴Better to live on the corner of a roof

than to share a house with a nagging wife.^e

²⁵Good news from a distant land

is like cold water to a parched throat.^Df

²⁶A righteous person who yields to the wicked^g

is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.^h

²⁷It is not good to eat too much honeyⁱ

or to seek glory after glory.^Aj

²⁸A person who does not control his temper^k

is like a city whose wall is broken down.^l

26Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,^m

honor is inappropriate for a fool.ⁿ

²Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,^o

an undeserved curse goes nowhere.^p

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,^q

and a rod for the backs of fools.^r

⁴Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness^s

or you’ll be like him yourself.

⁵Answer a fool according to his foolishness^t

or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.^u

⁶The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand^v

cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.^w

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is like lame legs that hang limp.

⁸Giving honor to a fool

is like binding a stone in a sling.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is like a stick with thorns,

brandished by^B the hand of a drunkard.

¹⁰The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by

is like an archer who wounds everyone indiscriminately.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,

so also a fool repeats his foolishness.^x

¹²Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes?^y

There is more hope for a fool than for him.^z

¹³The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—

a lion in the public square!”^aa

¹⁴A door turns on its hinges,

and a slacker, on his bed.^ab

¹⁵The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;

he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!^ac

¹⁶In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser^ad

than seven who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his

is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,^ae

¹⁹so is the person who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I was only joking!”

²⁰Without wood, fire goes out;

without a gossip, conflict dies down.^af

²¹As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,

so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.^ag

²²A gossip’s words are like choice food

that goes down to one’s innermost being.^Aa

²³Smooth^B lips with an evil heart

are like glaze on an earthen vessel.^b

²⁴A hateful person disguises himself with his speech

and harbors deceit within.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,

for there are seven detestable things in his heart.^c

²⁶Though his hatred is concealed by deception,

his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

²⁷The one who digs a pit will fall into it,

and whoever rolls a stone—

it will come back on him.^d

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it crushes,

and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

27Don’t boast about tomorrow,

for you don’t know what a day might bring.^e

²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—

a stranger, and not your own lips.^f

³A stone is heavy, and sand a burden,

but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.

⁴Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,

but who can withstand jealousy?^g

⁵Better an open reprimand

than concealed love.^h

⁶The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,ⁱ

but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.^j

⁷A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb,^k

but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Anyone wandering from his home

is like a bird wandering from its nest.^l

⁹Oil^m and incense bring joy to the heart,

and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.^C

¹⁰Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,ⁿ

and don’t go to your brother’s house

in your time of calamity;

better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.^o

¹¹Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy,^p

so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.^q

¹²A sensible person sees danger and takes cover;

the inexperienced keep going and are punished.^r

¹³Take his garment,

for he has put up security for a stranger;

get collateral if it is for foreigners.^As

¹⁴If one blesses his neighbor

with a loud voice early in the morning,

it will be counted as a curse to him.

¹⁵An endless dripping on a rainy day

and a nagging wife are alike;^t

¹⁶the one who controls her controls the wind

and grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron,

and one person sharpens another.^B

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree^u will eat its fruit,^v

and whoever looks after his master will be honored.

¹⁹As water reflects the face,

so the heart reflects the person.

²⁰Sheol and Abaddon^w are never satisfied,^x

and people’s eyes are never satisfied.^y

²¹As a crucible refines silver,

and a smelter refines gold,

so a person should refine his praise.^a

²²Though you grind a fool

in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,

you will not separate his foolishness from him.^b

²³Know well the condition of your flock,^c

and pay attention to your herds,

²⁴for wealth is not forever;^d

not even a crown lasts for all time.

²⁵When hay is removed and new growth appears

and the grain from the hills is gathered in,

²⁶lambs will provide your clothing,

and goats, the price of a field;

²⁷there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—

food for your household

and nourishment for your female servants.^e