Proverbs 25–27

More Proverbs of Solomon

25These also are ^mproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

²It is the glory of God to ⁿconceal things,

but the glory of kings is to ^osearch things out.

³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,

so the heart of kings is ^punsearchable.

⁴Take away ^qthe dross from the silver,

and ^rthe smith has material for a vessel;

⁵take away ^sthe wicked from the presence of the king,

and his ^tthrone will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great,

⁷for ^uit is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

^8wdo not hastily bring into court,¹

for² what will you do in the end,

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

^9xArgue your case with your neighbor himself,

and do not reveal another’s secret,

¹⁰lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

and your ill repute have no end.

^11yA word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

¹²Like ^za gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise reprover to ^aa listening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is ^ba faithful messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Like ^cclouds and wind without rain

is a man who ^dboasts of a gift he does not give.

¹⁵With ^epatience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

¹⁶If you have ^ffound honey, eat ^gonly enough for you,

lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,

lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

¹⁸A man who ^hbears false witness against his neighbor

is like a war club, or ⁱa sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

²⁰Whoever ^jsings songs to a heavy heart

is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

and like vinegar on soda.

^21kIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

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

²²for you will heap ^lburning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

^24mIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

²⁵Like cold water to ⁿa thirsty soul,

so is ^ogood news from a far country.

²⁶Like ^pa muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is ^qnot good to eat much honey,

nor is it glorious to ^rseek one’s own glory.³

²⁸A man ^swithout self-control

is like ^ta city broken into and left without walls.

26Like snow in summer or ^urain in harvest,

so ^vhonor is ^wnot fitting for a fool.

²Like ^xa sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

^ya curse that is causeless does not alight.

^3zA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and ^aa rod for the back of fools.

^4bAnswer not a fool according to his folly,

lest you be like him yourself.

^5cAnswer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be ^dwise in his own eyes.

⁶Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and ^edrinks violence.

⁷Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸Like one who binds the stone in the sling

is ^fone who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like ^ga thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everyone

is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.¹

¹¹Like ^ha dog that returns to his vomit

is ⁱa fool who repeats his folly.

¹²Do you see a man who is ^jwise in his own eyes?

^kThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

^13lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed.

^15mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is ^jwiser in his own eyes

ⁿthan seven men who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws ^ofirebrands, arrows, and death

¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no ^pwhisperer, ^qquarreling ceases.

²¹As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is ^ra quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

^22sThe words of ^pa whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

^23tLike the ^uglaze² covering an earthen vessel

are fervent lips with an evil heart.

²⁴Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips

and harbors deceit in his heart;

^25vwhen he speaks graciously, believe him not,

for there are ^wseven abominations in his heart;

²⁶though his hatred be covered with deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

^27xWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.

27Do not boast about tomorrow,

^yfor you do not know what a day may bring.

²Let ^zanother praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but ^aa fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

⁴Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before ^bjealousy?

^5cBetter is open rebuke

than hidden love.

⁶Faithful are ^dthe wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

⁷One who is full loathes ^ehoney,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

⁸Like ^fa bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home.

^9gOil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.¹

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend and ^hyour father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

ⁱBetter is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

^11jBe wise, ^kmy son, and ^lmake my heart glad,

that I may ^manswer him who reproaches me.

¹²ⁿThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but ^othe simple go on and suffer for it.

^13pTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.²

¹⁴Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

^15qA continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

¹⁶to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp³ oil in one’s right hand.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another.⁴

^18rWhoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who ^sguards his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man.

^20tSheol and Abaddon are ^unever satisfied,

and ^vnever satisfied are the eyes of man.

^21wThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise.

^22xCrush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.

^23yKnow well the condition of your flocks,

and ^ygive attention to your herds,

²⁴for ^zriches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations?

^25aWhen the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

^26bthe lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field.

^27bThere will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls.