Proverbs 25–29

¹Also these are Proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed:—

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

¹Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.

²Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.

³A stone is heavy, and the sand is heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both. ⁴Fury is fierce, and anger is overflowing, And who standeth before jealousy?

⁵Better is open reproof than hidden love. ⁶Faithful are the wounds of a lover, And abundant the kisses of an enemy.

⁷A satiated soul treadeth down a honeycomb, And to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸As a bird wandering from her nest, So is a man wandering from his place.

⁹Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one’s friend—from counsel of the soul. ¹⁰Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better is a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.

¹²The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.

¹³Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.

¹⁴Whoso is saluting his friend with a loud voice, In the morning rising early, A light thing it is reckoned to him.

¹⁵A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike, ¹⁶Whoso is hiding her hath hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calleth out.

¹⁷Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.

¹⁸The keeper of a fig-tree eateth its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honoured.

¹⁹As in water the face is to face, So the heart of man to man.

²⁰Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied.

²¹A refining pot is for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.

²²If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things—with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.

²³Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves, ²⁴For riches are not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation. ²⁵Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains. ²⁶Lambs are for thy clothing, And the price of the field are he-goats, ²⁷And a sufficiency of goats’ milk is for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!

Chapter 28

¹The wicked have fled and there is no pursuer. And the righteous as a young lion is confident.

²By the transgression of a land many are its heads. And by an intelligent man, Who knoweth right—it is prolonged.

³A man—poor and oppressing the weak, Is a sweeping rain, and there is no bread.

⁴Those forsaking the law praise the wicked, Those keeping the law plead against them.

⁵Evil men understand not judgment, And those seeking Jehovah understand all.

⁶Better is the poor walking in his integrity, Than the perverse of ways who is rich.

⁷Whoso is keeping the law is an intelligent son, And a friend of gluttons, Doth cause his father to blush.

⁸Whoso is multiplying his wealth by biting and usury, For one favouring the poor doth gather it.

⁹Whoso is turning his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰Whoso is causing the upright to err in an evil way, Into his own pit he doth fall, And the perfect do inherit good.

¹¹A rich man is wise in his own eyes, And the intelligent poor searcheth him.

¹²In the exulting of the righteous the glory is abundant, And in the rising of the wicked man is apprehensive.

¹³Whoso is covering his transgressions prospereth not, And he who is confessing and forsaking hath mercy.

¹⁴O the happiness of a man fearing continually, And whoso is hardening his heart falleth into evil.

¹⁵A growling lion, and a ranging bear, Is the wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A leader lacking understanding multiplieth oppressions, Whoso is hating dishonest gain prolongeth days.

¹⁷A man oppressed with the blood of a soul, Unto the pit fleeth, none taketh hold on him.

¹⁸Whoso is walking uprightly is saved, And the perverted of ways falleth at once.

¹⁹Whoso is tilling his ground is satisfied with bread, And whoso is pursuing vanity, Is filled with poverty.

²⁰A stedfast man hath multiplied blessings, And whoso is hasting to be rich is not acquitted.

²¹To discern faces is not good, And for a piece of bread doth a man transgress.

²²Troubled for wealth is the man with an evil eye, And he knoweth not that want doth meet him.

²³Whoso is reproving a man afterwards findeth grace, More than a flatterer with the tongue.

²⁴Whoso is robbing his father, or his mother, And is saying, ‘It is not transgression,’ A companion he is to a destroyer.

²⁵Whoso is proud in soul stirreth up contention, And whoso is trusting on Jehovah is made fat.

²⁶Whoso is trusting in his heart is a fool, And whoso is walking in wisdom is delivered.

²⁷Whoso is giving to the poor hath no lack, And whoso is hiding his eyes multiplied curses.

²⁸In the rising of the wicked a man is hidden, And in their destruction the righteous multiply!

Chapter 29

¹A man often reproved, hardening the neck, Is suddenly broken, and there is no healing.

²In the multiplying of the righteous the people rejoice,…