Proverbs 25–26

Chapter 25

Similitudes, Instructions

¹These also are ^aproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to ^aconceal a matter,

But the glory of ^bkings is to search out a matter.

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

So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the ^adross from the silver,

And there comes out a vessel for the ^bsmith;

⁵Take away the ^awicked before the king,

And his ^bthrone will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,

And do not stand in the place of great men;

⁷For ^ait is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”

Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,

Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out ^ahastily to ¹argue your case;

²Otherwise, what will you do in ³the end,

When your neighbor humiliates you?

^91aArgue your case with your neighbor,

And ^bdo not reveal the secret of another,

¹⁰Or he who hears it will reproach you,

And the evil report about you will not ¹pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a ^aword spoken in ¹right circumstances.

¹²Like ¹an ^aearring of gold and an ^bornament of ^cfine gold

Is a wise reprover to a ^dlistening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the ¹time of harvest

Is a ^afaithful messenger to those who send him,

For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Like ^aclouds and ^bwind without rain

Is a man who boasts ¹of his gifts falsely.

¹⁵By ^1aforbearance a ruler may be persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

¹⁶Have you ^afound honey? Eat only ¹what you need,

That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

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

Or he will become ¹weary of you and hate you.

¹⁸Like a club and a ^asword and a sharp ^barrow

Is a man who bears ^cfalse witness against his neighbor.

¹⁹Like a bad tooth and ¹an unsteady foot

Is confidence in a ^afaithless man in time of trouble.

²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ¹soda,

Is he who sings songs to ²a troubled heart.

^21aIf ¹your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For you will ¹heap burning coals on his head,

And ^athe Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain,

And a ^1abackbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

²⁴It is ^abetter to live in a corner of the roof

Than ¹in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul,

So is ^agood news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a ^atrampled spring and a ¹polluted well

Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,

Nor is it glory to ^asearch out ¹one’s own glory.

²⁸Like a ^acity that is broken into and without walls

Is a man ^bwho has no control over his spirit.

Chapter 26

Similitudes, Instructions

¹Like snow in summer and like ^arain in harvest,

So honor is not ^bfitting for a fool.

²Like a ^asparrow in its ¹flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

So a ^bcurse without cause does not ²alight.

³A ^awhip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

And a ^brod for the back of fools.

^4aDo not answer a fool according to his folly,

Or you will also be like him.

^5aAnswer a fool as his folly deserves,

That he not be ^bwise in his own eyes.

⁶He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence

Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.

⁷Like the legs which ¹are useless to the lame,

So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸Like ¹one who binds a stone in a sling,

So is he who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thorn which ¹falls into the hand of a drunkard,

So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰¹Like an archer who wounds everyone,

So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.

¹¹Like ^aa dog that returns to its vomit

Is a fool who ^brepeats ¹his folly.

¹²Do you see a man ^awise in his own eyes?

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

¹³The ^asluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

A lion is ¹in the open square!”

¹⁴As the door turns on its hinges,

So does the ^asluggard on his bed.

¹⁵The ^asluggard buries his hand in the dish;

He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

¹⁶The sluggard is ^awiser in his own eyes

Than seven men who can ¹give a discreet answer.

¹⁷Like one who takes a dog by the ears

Is he who passes by and ¹meddles with ^astrife not belonging to him.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws

^aFirebrands, arrows and death,

¹⁹So is the man who ^adeceives his neighbor,

And says, “^bWas I not joking?”

²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out,

And where there is no ^awhisperer, ^bcontention quiets down.

²¹Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

So is a ^acontentious man to kindle strife.

²²The ^awords of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the ¹innermost parts of the body.

²³Like an earthen ^avessel overlaid with silver ^bdross

Are burning lips and a wicked heart.

²⁴He who ^ahates disguises it with his lips,

But he lays up ^bdeceit in his ¹heart.

²⁵When ¹he ^aspeaks graciously, do not believe him,

For there are seven abominations in his heart.

²⁶Though his hatred ^acovers itself with guile,

His wickedness will be ^brevealed before the assembly.

²⁷He who ^adigs a pit will fall into it,

And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates ¹those it crushes,

And a ^aflattering mouth works ruin.