Proverbs 25–27

More Proverbs of Solomon

25These are more proverbs of Solomon. They were copied down by the men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah.

²When God hides a matter, he gets glory.

When kings figure out a matter, they get glory.

³The heavens are high and the earth is deep.

In the same way, the minds of kings are hard to figure out.

⁴Remove the scum from the silver.

Then the master worker can make something.

⁵Remove sinful people from where the king is.

When he does what is right, his kingdom will be secure.

⁶Don’t brag in front of the king.

Don’t claim a place among great people.

⁷Let the king say to you, “Come up here.”

That’s better than for him to shame you in front of nobles.

What you have seen with your own eyes

⁸don’t bring too quickly to court.

What will you do in the end

if your neighbor puts you to shame?

⁹If you talk about a matter with your neighbor,

don’t tell others what was said.

¹⁰If you do, someone might hear it and put you to shame.

Then no one will ever respect you again.

¹¹The right word at the right time

is like golden apples in silver jewelry.

¹²A wise person’s warning to a listening ear

is like a gold earring or jewelry made of fine gold.

¹³A messenger trusted by those who send him

is like cool snow at harvest time.

He renews the spirit of his masters.

¹⁴A man who brags about gifts he doesn’t give

is like wind and clouds that don’t produce rain.

¹⁵If you are patient, you can win an official over to your side.

And gentle words can break a bone.

¹⁶If you find honey, eat just enough.

If you eat too much of it, you will throw up.

¹⁷Don’t go to your neighbor’s home very often.

If he sees too much of you, he will hate you.

¹⁸A man who gives false witness against his neighbor

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

¹⁹Trusting someone who is not faithful when trouble comes

is like a bad tooth or a disabled foot.

²⁰You may sing songs to a troubled heart.

But that’s like taking a coat away on a cold day.

It’s like pouring vinegar on baking soda.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat.

If he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²²By doing those things, you will pile up burning coals on his head.

And the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings rain.

And a crafty tongue brings angry looks.

²⁴It is better to live on a corner of a roof

than to share a house with a nagging wife.

²⁵Hearing good news from a land far away

is like drinking cold water when you are tired.

²⁶Sometimes a godly person gives in to those who are evil.

Then he becomes like a muddy spring of water or a polluted well.

²⁷It isn’t good for you to eat too much honey.

And you shouldn’t try to get others to honor you.

²⁸A man who can’t control himself

is like a city whose walls are broken down.

26It isn’t proper to honor a foolish person.

That’s like having snow in summer or rain at harvest time.

²A curse given for no reason is like a wandering bird or a flying sparrow.

It doesn’t go anywhere.

³A whip is for a horse. A harness is for a donkey.

And a beating is for the backs of foolish people.

⁴Don’t answer a foolish person in keeping with his foolish acts.

If you do, you will be like him yourself.

⁵Answer a foolish person in keeping with his foolish acts.

If you do, he won’t be wise in his own eyes.

⁶Sending a message in the hand of a foolish person

is like cutting off your feet or drinking something harmful.

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person

is like disabled legs that are useless.

⁸Giving honor to a foolish person

is like tying a stone in a slingshot.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person

is like a thorn in the hand of someone who is drunk.

¹⁰Anyone who hires a foolish person or someone who is passing by

is like a person who shoots arrows at just anybody.

¹¹A foolish person who does the same foolish things again

is like a dog that returns to where it has thrown up.

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

There is more hope for a foolish person than for him.

¹³A person who doesn’t want to work says, “There’s a lion in the road!

There’s an angry lion wandering in the streets!”

¹⁴A person who doesn’t want to work turns over in bed

just like a door that swings back and forth.

¹⁵A person who doesn’t want to work leaves his hand in the dish.

He acts as if he is too tired to bring it back up to his mouth.

¹⁶A person who doesn’t want to work is wiser in his own eyes

than seven people who give careful answers.

¹⁷Don’t get mixed up in someone else’s fight as you are passing by.

That’s like picking a dog up by its ears.

¹⁸Suppose a crazy person shoots

flaming arrows that can kill.

¹⁹A man who lies to his neighbor

and says, “I was only joking!” is just like that person.

²⁰If you don’t have wood, your fire goes out.

If you don’t talk about others, arguing dies down.

²¹Coal glows. Wood burns.

And a man who argues stirs up fights.

²²The words of anyone who talks about others are like tasty bites of food.

They go deep down inside you.

²³Warm words that come from an evil heart

are like shiny paint on a clay pot.

²⁴Someone who wants to hurt you uses his words to hide his hatred.

But his heart is full of lies that cover up his evil plans.

²⁵What a person says can be charming. But don’t believe him.

Seven things that God hates can fill that person’s heart.

²⁶Hatred can be hidden by lies.

But what is evil will be shown to everyone.

²⁷If anyone digs a pit, he will fall into it.

If he rolls a big stone, it will roll back on him.

²⁸A tongue that tells lies hates the people it hurts.

And words that seem to praise you destroy you.

27Don’t brag about tomorrow.

You don’t know what a day will bring.

²Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth.

Let someone else praise you, and not your own lips.

³Stones are heavy. Sand weighs a lot.

But letting a foolish person make you angry is a heavier load than both of them.

⁴Anger is mean. Great anger overpowers you.

But who can face jealousy?

⁵Being warned openly is better

than being loved in secret.

⁶Wounds from a friend can be trusted.

But an enemy kisses you many times.

⁷When you are full, you even hate honey.

When you are hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet.

⁸A man who wanders away from his home

is like a bird that wanders from its nest.

⁹Perfume and incense bring joy to your heart.

And a friend is sweeter when he gives you honest advice.

¹⁰Don’t desert your friend or your father’s friend.

And don’t go to your family when trouble strikes you.

A neighbor nearby is better than a family member far away.

¹¹My child, be wise and bring joy to my heart.

Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me.

¹²Wise people see danger and go to a safe place.

But childish people keep on going and suffer for it.

¹³Take the coat of one who puts up money for what a stranger owes.

Hold it until you get paid back if he does it for a woman who commits adultery.

¹⁴Suppose you loudly bless your neighbor early in the morning.

Then you might as well be calling down a curse on him.

¹⁵A nagging wife is like

dripping that never stops on a rainy day.

¹⁶Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind.

It’s like trying to grab oil with your hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,

so one person sharpens another.

¹⁸A person who takes good care of a fig tree will eat its fruit.

And a person who looks after his master will be honored.

¹⁹When you look into water, you see a likeness of your face.

When you look into your heart, you see what you are really like.

²⁰Death and the Grave are never satisfied.

A man’s eyes are never satisfied either.

²¹Fire tests silver. Heat tests gold.

But a man is tested by the praise he receives.

²²You can grind a foolish person in a mill.

You can grind him as you would grind grain with a tool.

But you can’t remove his foolishness from him.

²³Be sure you know how your flocks are doing.

Pay careful attention to your herds.

²⁴Riches don’t last forever.

And a crown is not secure for all time to come.

²⁵The hay is removed, and new growth appears.

The grass from the hills is gathered in.

²⁶Then your lambs will provide you with clothes.

And the money from selling your goats will buy you a field.

²⁷You will have plenty of goats’ milk.

It will feed you and your family.

It will also feed your female servants.