Proverbs 25–26

More of Solomon’s Proverbs

25Here are more of Solomon’s proverbs, copied by men at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.

²We honour God for what he conceals; we honour kings for what they explain.

³You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean.

⁴Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty. ⁵Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice.

^6*When you stand before the king, don’t try to impress him and pretend to be important. ^7*It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important.

⁸Don’t be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?

⁹If you and your neighbour have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. ¹⁰Otherwise everyone will learn that you can’t keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.

¹¹An idea well expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.

¹²A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewellery made of the finest gold.

¹³A reliable messenger is refreshing to the one who sends him, like cold water in the heat of harvest time.

¹⁴People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

¹⁵Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance and can even convince rulers.

¹⁶Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit. ¹⁷Don’t visit your neighbours too often; they may get tired of you and come to hate you.

¹⁸A false accusation is as deadly as a sword, a club, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Depending on an unreliable person in a crisis is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot.

²⁰Singing to a person who is depressed is like taking off his clothes on a cold day or like rubbing salt in a wound.

^21*If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink. ^22*You will make them burn with shame, and the Lord will reward you.

²³Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.

²⁴Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.

²⁵Finally, hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.

²⁶A good person who gives in to someone who is evil reminds you of a polluted spring or a poisoned well.

²⁷Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.ⁿ

²⁸If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.

26Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.

²Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never settle.

³You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.

⁴If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.

⁵Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he’s not as clever as he thinks.

⁶If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.

⁷A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.

⁸Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.

⁹A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.

¹⁰An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.^o

^11*A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.

¹²The most stupid fool is better off than someone who thinks he is wise when he is not.

¹³Why don’t lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?

¹⁴Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.

¹⁵Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.

¹⁶A lazy person will think he is more intelligent than seven people who can give good reasons for their opinions.

¹⁷Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears.

^18–19Someone who misleads someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a mad person playing with a deadly weapon.

²⁰Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarrelling stops.

²¹Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.

²²Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!

²³Insincere^p talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze^q on a cheap clay pot.

²⁴A hypocrite hides hatred behind flattering words. ²⁵They may sound fine, but don’t believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate. ²⁶He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.

²⁷People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.

²⁸You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.