Proverbs 25
25
Hezekiah’s Collection
1These too are proverbs of Solomon,#Pr 1:1
which the men of King Hezekiah#2Kg 18–20 of Judah copied.
2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter#Dt 29:29; Rm 11:33
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,#Ezk 22:18; Mal 3:2–3
and material will be produced#25:4 Lit will come out; Ex 32:24 for a silversmith.#25:4 Or and a vessel will be produced by a silversmith#2Tm 2:21
5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,#Pr 20:8,26
and his throne will be established in righteousness.#Pr 16:12
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.#25:7 Lit you before a noble whom your eyes see#Lk 14:7–11
8Don’t take a matter to court hastily.#Pr 17:14; Mt 5:25; 1Co 6:7
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent#25:8 Or neighbor, also in v. 9 humiliates you?
9Make your case with your opponent
without revealing another’s secret;#Pr 17:9; Mt 18:15
10otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.#25:10 Lit and your evil report will not turn back
11A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples in silver settings.#Pr 8:10; 15:23; 16:16
12A wise correction to a receptive ear#Pr 15:31
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.#Pr 13:17; 16:24; 25:25
14The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.#Jd 12
15A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.#Pr 15:1; 16:14,32; Ec 10:4
16If you find honey,#Jdg 14:8; 1Sm 14:25 eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.#Pr 25:27
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#Ex 20:16; Pr 24:28
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.#Ps 57:4; Pr 12:18
19Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.#2Kg 18:21
20Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.#25:20 Lit natron, or sodium carbonate#Rm 12:15
21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,#Ex 23:4–5; 2Kg 6:22; 2Ch 28:15; Mt 5:44; Rm 12:20
22for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.#Mt 6:4
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.#Pr 15:17; 17:1; 21:9,19
25Good news from a distant land
is like cold water to a parched throat.#25:25 Or a weary person#Pr 15:30
26A righteous person who yields to the wicked#Dt 13:6–8; Gl 2:4–5
is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.#Ezk 32:2; 34:18–19
27It is not good to eat too much honey#Pr 25:16
or to seek glory after glory.#25:27 Lit seek their glory, glory#Pr 27:2
28A person who does not control his temper#Pr 16:32; 29:11
is like a city whose wall is broken down.#Neh 1:3
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Proverbs 25: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Proverbs 25
25
1 These, too, are parables of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transferred.
2 It is to the glory of God to conceal a word, and it is to the glory of kings to investigate speech.
3 Heaven above, and earth below, and the heart of kings are each unsearchable.
4 Take away the tarnish from silver, and a most pure vessel will go forth.
5 Take away impiety from the face of the king, and his throne shall be made firm by justice.
6 Do not appear glorious before the king, and do not stand in the place of the great.
7 For it is better that it should be said to you, "Ascend to here," than that you should be humbled before the prince.
8 The things that your eyes have seen, do not offer hastily in a quarrel, lest afterward you may not be able to make amends, when you have dishonored your friend.
9 Argue your case with your friend, and do not reveal the secret to an outsider,
10 lest perhaps he may insult you, when he has heard it, and he might not cease to reproach you. Grace and friendship free a man; preserve these for yourself, lest you fall under reproach.
11 Whoever speaks a word at an opportune time is like apples of gold on beds of silver.
12 Whoever reproves the wise and obedient ear is like an earring of gold with a shining pearl.
13 Just like the cold of snow in a time of harvest, so also is a faithful messenger to him who sent him: he causes his soul to rest.
14 A man who boasts and does not fulfill his promises is like clouds and wind, when rain does not follow.
15 By patience, a leader shall be appeased, and a soft tongue shall break hardness.
16 You have discovered honey; eat what is sufficient for you, lest perhaps, being filled up, you may vomit it.
17 Withdraw your feet from the house of your neighbor, lest, when he has had his fill, he may hate you.
18 A man who speaks false testimony against his neighbor is like a dart and a sword and a sharp arrow.
19 Whoever sets his hopes on the unfaithful in a day of anguish is like a rotten tooth and weary foot,
20 and like one who loosens his garment in cold weather. Whoever sings verses to a wicked heart is like vinegar on baking soda. Just like a moth to a garment, and a worm to wood, so too does the sadness of a man do harm to the heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 For you will gather hot coals upon his head, and the Lord will repay you.
23 The north wind brings forth the rain, and a sorrowful face brings forth a detracting tongue.
24 It is better to sit in a corner of the attic, than with an argumentative woman and in a shared house.
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so too are good reports from a far away land.
26 The just falling down before the impious is like a fountain stirred up by feet and like a corrupted spring.
27 Just as whoever eats too much honey, it is not good for him, so also whoever is an investigator of what is majestic will be overwhelmed by glory.
28 Just like a city lying in the open and without surrounding walls, so also is a man who is unable to restrain his own spirit in speaking.
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