Proverbs 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.