Proverbs 25

Hezekiah’s Collection

¹These too are proverbs of Solomon, ^a

which the men of King Hezekiah ^b of Judah copied.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter ^c

and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.

³As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,

so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

⁴Remove impurities from silver, ^d

and material will be produced ^e for a silversmith. ^f,^g

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, ^h

and his throne will be established in righteousness. ⁱ

⁶Don’t boast about yourself before the king,

and don’t stand in the place of the great;

⁷for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here! ”

than to demote you in plain view of a noble. ^j,^k

⁸Don’t take a matter to court hastily. ^l

Otherwise, what will you do afterward

if your opponent ^m humiliates you?

⁹Make your case with your opponent

without revealing another’s secret; ⁿ

¹⁰otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,

and you’ll never live it down. ^o

¹¹A word spoken at the right time

is like gold apples in silver settings. ^p

¹²A wise correction to a receptive ear ^q

is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

¹³To those who send him, a trustworthy envoy

is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;

he refreshes the life of his masters. ^r

¹⁴The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist

is like clouds and wind without rain. ^s

¹⁵A ruler can be persuaded through patience,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone. ^t

¹⁶If you find honey, ^u eat only what you need;

otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit. ^v

¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;

otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.

¹⁸A person giving false testimony against his neighbor ^w

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

¹⁹Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time

is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot. ^y

²⁰Singing songs to a troubled heart

is like taking off clothing on a cold day

or like pouring vinegar on soda. ^z,^aa

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

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, ^ab

²²for you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you. ^ac

²³The north wind produces rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

²⁴Better to live on the corner of a roof

than to share a house with a nagging wife. ^ad

²⁵Good news from a distant land

is like cold water to a parched throat. ^ae,^af

²⁶A righteous person who yields to the wicked ^ag

is like a muddied spring or a polluted well. ^ah

²⁷It is not good to eat too much honey ^ai

or to seek glory after glory. ^aj,^ak

²⁸A person who does not control his temper ^al

is like a city whose wall is broken down. ^am