²The honour of God is to hide a thing, And the honour of kings to search out a matter. ³The heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings—are unsearchable.

⁴Take away dross from silver, And a vessel for the refiner goeth forth, ⁵Take away the wicked before a king, And established in righteousness is his throne.

⁶Honour not thyself before a king, And in the place of the great stand not. ⁷For better that he hath said to thee, ‘Come thou up hither,’ Than that he humble thee before a noble, Whom thine eyes have seen.

⁸Go not forth to strive, haste, turn, What dost thou in its latter end, When thy neighbour causeth thee to blush? ⁹Thy cause plead with thy neighbour, And the secret counsel of another reveal not, ¹⁰Lest the hearer put thee to shame, And thine evil report turn not back.

¹¹Apples of gold in imagery of silver, Is the word spoken at its fit times. ¹²A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, Is the wise reprover to an attentive ear.

¹³As a vessel of snow in a day of harvest, So is a faithful ambassador to those sending him, And the soul of his masters he refresheth.

¹⁴Clouds and wind, and rain there is none, Is a man boasting himself in a false gift.

¹⁵By long-suffering is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh a bone.

¹⁶Honey thou hast found—eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated with it, and hast vomited it.

¹⁷Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house, Lest he be satiated with thee, and have hated thee.

¹⁸A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, Is the man testifying against his neighbour a false testimony.

¹⁹A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, Is the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity.

²⁰Whoso is taking away a garment in a cold day, Is as vinegar on nitre, And a singer of songs on a sad heart.

²¹If he who is hating thee doth hunger, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirst, cause him to drink water. ²²For coals thou art putting on his head, And Jehovah giveth recompense to thee.

²³A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue—indignant faces.

²⁴Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than with a woman of contentions, and a house of company.

²⁵As cold waters for a weary soul, So is a good report from a far country.

²⁶A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, Is the righteous falling before the wicked.

²⁷The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one’s own honour—honour.

²⁸A city broken down without walls, Is a man without restraint over his spirit!

Chapter 26

¹As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honour is not comely for a fool.

²As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, So reviling without cause doth not come.

³A whip is for a horse, a bridle for an ass, And a rod for the back of fools.

⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou be like to him—even thou. ⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶He is cutting off feet, he is drinking injury, Who is sending things by the hand of a fool. ⁷Weak have been the two legs of the lame, And a parable in the mouth of fools. ⁸As one who is binding a stone in a sling, So is he who is giving honour to a fool. ⁹A thorn hath gone up into the hand of a drunkard, And a parable in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰Great is the Former of all, And He is rewarding a fool, And is rewarding transgressors.

¹¹As a dog hath returned to its vomit, A fool is repeating his folly.

¹²Thou hast seen a man wise in his own eyes, More hope of a fool than of him!

¹³The slothful hath said, ‘A lion is in the way, A lion is in the broad places.’

¹⁴The door turneth round on its hinge, And the slothful on his bed.

¹⁵The slothful hath hid his hand in a dish, He is weary of bringing it back to his mouth.

¹⁶Wiser is the slothful in his own eyes, Than seven men returning a reason.

¹⁷Laying hold on the ears of a dog, Is a passer-by making himself wrath for strife not his own.

¹⁸As one pretending to be feeble, Who is casting sparks, arrows, and death, ¹⁹So hath a man deceived his neighbour, And hath said, ‘Am not I playing?’

²⁰Without wood is fire going out, And without a tale-bearer, contention ceaseth, ²¹Coal to burning coals, and wood to fire, And a man of contentions to kindle strife. ²²The words of a tale-bearer are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart.

²³Silver of dross spread over potsherd, Are burning lips and an evil heart.

²⁴By his lips doth a hater dissemble, And in his heart he placeth deceit, ²⁵When his voice is gracious trust not in him, For seven abominations are in his heart. ²⁶Hatred is covered by deceit, Revealed is its wickedness in an assembly.

²⁷Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And the roller of a stone, to him it turneth.

²⁸A lying tongue hateth its bruised ones, And a flattering mouth worketh an overthrow!

Chapter 27

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