Proverbs 25–29

Chapter 25

More Proverbs of Solomon

These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.

²It is God’s privilege to conceal things

and the king’s privilege to discover them.

³No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,

or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

⁴Remove the impurities from silver,

and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s court,

and his reign will be made secure by justice.

⁶Don’t demand an audience with the king

or push for a place among the great.

⁷It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table

than to be sent away in public disgrace.

Just because you’ve seen something,

⁸don’t be in a hurry to go to court.

For what will you do in the end

if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?

⁹When arguing with your neighbor,

don’t betray another person’s secret.

¹⁰Others may accuse you of gossip,

and you will never regain your good reputation.

¹¹Timely advice is lovely,

like golden apples in a silver basket.

¹²To one who listens, valid criticism

is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.

¹³Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer.

They revive the spirit of their employer.

¹⁴A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it

is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

¹⁵Patience can persuade a prince,

and soft speech can break bones.

¹⁶Do you like honey?

Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!

¹⁷Don’t visit your neighbors too often,

or you will wear out your welcome.

¹⁸Telling lies about others

is as harmful as hitting them with an ax,

wounding them with a sword,

or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble

is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.

²⁰Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart

is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather

or pouring vinegar in a wound.

²¹If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.

If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.

²²You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads,

and the Lord will reward you.

²³As surely as a north wind brings rain,

so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

²⁴It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic

than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

²⁵Good news from far away

is like cold water to the thirsty.

²⁶If the godly give in to the wicked,

it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.

²⁷It’s not good to eat too much honey,

and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.

²⁸A person without self-control

is like a city with broken-down walls.

Chapter 26

¹Honor is no more associated with fools

than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

²Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,

an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

³Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,

and a fool with a rod to his back!

⁴Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,

or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,

or they will become wise in their own estimation.

⁶Trusting a fool to convey a message

is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

⁸Honoring a fool

is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

¹⁰An employer who hires a fool or a bystander

is like an archer who shoots at random.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,

so a fool repeats his foolishness.

¹²There is more hope for fools

than for people who think they are wise.

¹³The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!

Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

¹⁴As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,

so the lazy person turns over in bed.

¹⁵Lazy people take food in their hand

but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

¹⁶Lazy people consider themselves smarter

than seven wise counselors.

¹⁷Interfering in someone else’s argument

is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

¹⁸Just as damaging

as a madman shooting a deadly weapon

¹⁹is someone who lies to a friend

and then says, “I was only joking.”

²⁰Fire goes out without wood,

and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

²¹A quarrelsome person starts fights

as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

²²Rumors are dainty morsels

that sink deep into one’s heart.

²³Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,

just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

²⁴People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,

but they’re deceiving you.

²⁵They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.

Their hearts are full of many evils.

²⁶While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,

their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

²⁷If you set a trap for others,

you will get caught in it yourself.

If you roll a boulder down on others,

it will crush you instead.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims,

and flattering words cause ruin.

Chapter 27

¹Don’t brag about tomorrow,

since you don’t know what the day will bring.

²Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—

a stranger, not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,

but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.

⁴Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,

but jealousy is even more dangerous.

⁵An open rebuke

is better than hidden love!

⁶Wounds from a sincere friend

are better than many kisses from an enemy.

⁷A person who is full refuses honey,

but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

⁸A person who strays from home

is like a bird that strays from its nest.

⁹The heartfelt counsel of a friend

is as sweet as perfume and incense.

¹⁰Never abandon a friend—

either yours or your father’s.

When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.

It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

¹¹Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad.

Then I will be able to answer my critics.

¹²A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.

The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

¹³Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.

Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

¹⁴A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning

will be taken as a curse!

¹⁵A quarrelsome wife is as annoying

as constant dripping on a rainy day.

¹⁶Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind

or trying to hold something with greased hands.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,

so a friend sharpens a friend.

¹⁸As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,

so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

¹⁹As a face is reflected in water,

so the heart reflects the real person.

²⁰Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied,

so human desire is never satisfied.

²¹Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,

but a person is tested by being praised.

²²You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,

even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

²³Know the state of your flocks,

and put your heart into caring for your herds,

²⁴for riches don’t last forever,

and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.

²⁵After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears

and the mountain grasses are gathered in,

²⁶your sheep will provide wool for clothing,

and your goats will provide the price of a field.

²⁷And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,

your family, and your servant girls.

Chapter 28

¹The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,

but the godly are as bold as lions.

²When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily.

But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.

³A poor person who oppresses the poor

is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.

⁴To reject the law is to praise the wicked;

to obey the law is to fight them.

⁵Evil people don’t understand justice,

but those who follow the Lord understand completely.

⁶Better to be poor and honest

than to be dishonest and rich.

⁷Young people who obey the law are wise;

those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

⁸Income from charging high interest rates

will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.

⁹God detests the prayers

of a person who ignores the law.

¹⁰Those who lead good people along an evil path

will fall into their own trap,

but the honest will inherit good things.

¹¹Rich people may think they are wise,

but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.

¹²When the godly succeed, everyone is glad.

When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.

¹³People who conceal their sins will not prosper,

but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

¹⁴Blessed are those who fear to do wrong,

but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.

¹⁵A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor

as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.

¹⁶A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people,

but one who hates corruption will have a long life.

¹⁷A murderer’s tormented conscience will drive him into the grave.

Don’t protect him!

¹⁸The blameless will be rescued from harm,

but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed.

¹⁹A hard worker has plenty of food,

but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

²⁰The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,

but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.

²¹Showing partiality is never good,

yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.

²²Greedy people try to get rich quick

but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.

²³In the end, people appreciate honest criticism

far more than flattery.

²⁴Anyone who steals from his father and mother

and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

is no better than a murderer.

²⁵Greed causes fighting;

trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.

²⁶Those who trust their own insight are foolish,

but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,

but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.

²⁸When the wicked take…