Proverbs 25–29

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.

28Evil people run even though no one is chasing them,

but good people are as brave as a lion.

²When a country is lawless, it has one ruler after another;

but when it is led by a leader with understanding and knowledge, it continues strong.

³Rulers who mistreat the poor

are like a hard rain that destroys the crops.

⁴Those who disobey what they have been taught praise the wicked,

but those who obey what they have been taught are against them.

⁵Evil people do not understand justice,

but those who follow the Lord understand it completely.

⁶It is better to be poor and innocent

than to be rich and wicked.

⁷Children who obey what they have been taught are wise,

but friends of troublemakers disgrace their parents.

⁸Some people get rich by overcharging others,

but their wealth will be given to those who are kind to the poor.

⁹If you refuse to obey what you have been taught,

your prayers will not be heard.

¹⁰Those who lead good people to do wrong

will be ruined by their own evil,

but the innocent will be rewarded with good things.

¹¹Rich people may think they are wise,

but the poor with understanding will prove them wrong.

¹²When good people triumph, there is great happiness,

but when the wicked get control, everybody hides.

¹³If you hide your sins, you will not succeed.

If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy.

¹⁴Those who are always respectful will be happy,

but those who are stubborn will get into trouble.

¹⁵A wicked ruler is as dangerous to poor people

as a roaring lion or a charging bear.

¹⁶A ruler without wisdom will be cruel,

but the one who refuses to take dishonest money will rule a long time.

¹⁷Don’t help those who are guilty of murder;

let them run until they die.

¹⁸Innocent people will be kept safe,

but those who are dishonest will suddenly be ruined.

¹⁹Those who work their land will have plenty of food,

but the ones who chase empty dreams instead will end up poor.

²⁰A truthful person will have many blessings,

but those eager to get rich will be punished.

²¹It is not good for a judge to take sides,

but some will sin for only a piece of bread.

²²Selfish people are in a hurry to get rich

and do not realize they soon will be poor.

²³Those who correct others will later be liked

more than those who give false praise.

²⁴Whoever robs father or mother

and says, “It’s not wrong,”

is just like someone who destroys things.

²⁵A greedy person causes trouble,

but the one who trusts the Lord will succeed.

²⁶Those who trust in themselves are foolish,

but those who live wisely will be kept safe.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will have everything he needs,

but the one who ignores the poor will receive many curses.

²⁸When the wicked get control, everybody hides,

but…