Proverbs 25:2–27

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