Proverbs 25–26

Chapter 25

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

²It is the glory of God to conceal things,

but the glory of kings is to search things out.

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

so the mind of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver,

and the smith has material for a vessel;

⁵take away the wicked from the presence of the king,

and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great;

⁷for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of the prince.

What your eyes have seen

⁸do not hastily bring into court;

for what will you do in the end,

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

⁹Argue your case with your neighbor himself,

and do not disclose another’s secret;

¹⁰lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

and your ill repute have no end.

¹¹A word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

¹²Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is a faithful messenger to those who send him,

he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain

is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

¹⁵With patience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

¹⁶If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,

lest you be sated with it and vomit it.

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

lest he become weary of you and hate you.

¹⁸A man who bears false witness against his neighbor

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

¹⁹Trust in a faithless man in time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

²⁰He who sings songs to a heavy heart

is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

and like vinegar on a wound.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;

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

²²for you will heap coals of fire on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain;

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

²⁴It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country.

²⁶Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,

so be sparing of complimentary words.

²⁸A man without self-control

is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Chapter 26

¹Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

so honor is not fitting for a fool.

²Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

a curse that is causeless does not alight.

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,

and a rod for the back of fools.

⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly,

lest you be like him yourself.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

⁷Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸Like one who binds the stone in the sling

is he who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everybody

is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

¹¹Like a dog that returns to his vomit

is a fool that repeats his folly.

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

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

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

There is a lion in the streets!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed.

¹⁵The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes

than seven men who can answer discreetly.

¹⁷He who meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands,

arrows, and death,

¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out;

and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

²¹As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

²²The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

²³Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel

are smooth lips with an evil heart.

²⁴He who hates, dissembles with his lips

and harbors deceit in his heart;

²⁵when he speaks graciously, believe him not,

for there are seven abominations in his heart;

²⁶though his hatred be covered with guile,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷He who digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back upon him who starts it rolling.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.