Proverbs 25–27

More Wise Sayings of Solomon

25These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.

²God is honored for what he keeps secret.

Kings are honored for what they can discover.

³No one can measure the height of the skies or the depth of the earth.

So also no one can understand the mind of a king.

⁴Remove the scum from the silver,

so the silver can be used by the silversmith.

⁵Remove wicked people from the king’s presence;

then his government will be honest and last a long time.

⁶Don’t brag to the king

and act as if you are great.

⁷It is better for him to give you a higher position

than to bring you down in front of the prince.

Because of something you have seen,

⁸do not quickly take someone to court.

What will you do later

when your neighbor proves you wrong?

⁹If you have an argument with your neighbor,

don’t tell other people what was said.

¹⁰Whoever hears it might shame you,

and you might not ever be respected again.

¹¹The right word spoken at the right time

is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.

¹²A wise warning to someone who will listen

is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.

¹³Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them,

like the coolness of snow in the summertime.

¹⁴People who brag about gifts they never give

are like clouds and wind that give no rain.

¹⁵With patience you can convince a ruler,

and a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.

¹⁶If you find honey, don’t eat too much,

or it will make you throw up.

¹⁷Don’t go to your neighbor’s house too often;

too much of you will make him hate you.

¹⁸When you lie about your neighbors,

it hurts them as much as a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Trusting unfaithful people when you are in trouble

is like eating with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot.

²⁰Singing songs to someone who is sad

is like taking away his coat on a cold day

or pouring vinegar on soda.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

²²Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

²³As the north wind brings rain,

telling gossip brings angry looks.

²⁴It is better to live in a corner on the roof ⁿ

than inside the house with a quarreling wife.

²⁵Good news from a faraway place

is like a cool drink when you are tired.

²⁶A good person who gives in to evil

is like a muddy spring or a dirty well.

²⁷It is not good to eat too much honey,

nor does it bring you honor to brag about yourself.

²⁸Those who do not control themselves

are like a city whose walls are broken down.

26It shouldn’t snow in summer or rain at harvest.

Neither should a foolish person ever be honored.

²Curses will not harm someone who is innocent;

they are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.

³Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys,

so paddles are good for fools.

⁴Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly,

or you will be just like them.

⁵Answer fools when they speak foolishly,

or they will think they are really wise.

⁶Sending a message by a foolish person

is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.

⁷A wise saying spoken by a fool

is as useless as the legs of a crippled person.

⁸Giving honor to a foolish person

is like tying a stone in a slingshot.

⁹A wise saying spoken by a fool

is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.

¹⁰Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by

is like an archer shooting at just anything.

¹¹A fool who repeats his foolishness

is like a dog that goes back to what it has thrown up.

¹²There is more hope for a foolish person

than for those who think they are wise.

¹³The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road!

There’s a lion in the streets!”

¹⁴Like a door turning back and forth on its hinges,

the lazy person turns over and over in bed.

¹⁵Lazy people may put their hands in the dish,

but they are too tired to lift the food to their mouths.

¹⁶The lazy person thinks he is wiser

than seven people who give sensible answers.

¹⁷Interfering in someone else’s quarrel as you pass by

is like grabbing a dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman shooting

deadly, burning arrows

¹⁹is the one who tricks a neighbor

and then says, “I was just joking.”

²⁰Without wood, a fire will go out,

and without gossip, quarreling will stop.

²¹Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going,

a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.

²²The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food;

people like to gobble them up.

²³Kind words from a wicked mind

are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.

²⁴Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words,

but in their minds they are planning evil.

²⁵People’s words may be kind, but don’t believe them,

because their minds are full of evil thoughts.

²⁶Lies can hide hate,

but the evil will be plain to everyone.

²⁷Whoever digs a pit for others will fall into it.

Whoever tries to roll a boulder down on others will be crushed by it.

²⁸Liars hate the people they hurt,

and false praise can ruin others.

27Don’t brag about tomorrow;

you don’t know what may happen then.

²Don’t praise yourself. Let someone else do it.

Let the praise come from a stranger and not from your own mouth.

³Stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but a complaining fool is worse than either.

⁴Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood,

but no one can put up with jealousy!

⁵It is better to correct someone openly

than to have love and not show it.

⁶The slap of a friend can be trusted to help you,

but the kisses of an enemy are nothing but lies.

⁷When you are full, not even honey tastes good,

but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.

⁸A person who leaves his home

is like a bird that leaves its nest.

⁹The sweet smell of perfume and oils is pleasant,

and so is good advice from a friend.

¹⁰Don’t forget your friend or your parent’s friend.

Don’t always go to your family for help when trouble comes.

A neighbor close by is better than a family far away.

¹¹Be wise, my child, and make me happy.

Then I can respond to any insult.

¹²The wise see danger ahead and avoid it,

but fools keep going and get into trouble.

¹³Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger’s loan,

and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.

¹⁴If you loudly greet your neighbor early in the morning,

he will think of it as a curse.

¹⁵A quarreling wife is as bothersome

as a continual dripping on a rainy day.

¹⁶Stopping her is like stopping the wind

or trying to grab oil in your hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,

so people can improve each other.

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree gets to eat its fruit,

and whoever takes care of his master will receive honor.

¹⁹As water reflects your face,

so your mind shows what kind of person you are.

²⁰People will never stop dying and being destroyed,

and they will never stop wanting more than they have.

²¹A hot furnace tests silver and gold,

and people are tested by the praise they receive.

²²Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl,

you couldn’t remove the foolishness.

²³Be sure you know how your sheep are doing,

and pay attention to the condition of your cattle.

²⁴Riches will not go on forever,

nor do governments go on forever.

²⁵Bring in the hay, and let the new grass appear.

Gather the grass from the hills.

²⁶Make clothes from the lambs’ wool,

and sell some goats to buy a field.

²⁷There will be plenty of goat’s milk

to feed you and your family

and to make your servant girls healthy.