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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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Proverbs 25
25
1These are also parables of Solomon, which the men of Ezechias king of Juda copied out.
2It is the glory of God to conceal the word, and the glory of kings to search out the speech.
3The heaven above, and the earth beneath, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4Take away the rust from silver, and there shall come forth a most pure vessel:
5Take away wickedness from the face of the king, and his throne shall be established with justice.
6Appear not glorious before the king, and stand not in the place of great men.
7For it is better that it should be said to thee: Come up hither; than that thou shouldst be humbled before the prince.
8The things which thy eyes have seen, utter not hastily in a quarrel: lest afterward thou mayst not be able to make amends, when thou hast dishonoured thy friend.
9Treat thy cause with thy friend, and discover not the secret to a stranger:
10Lest he insult over thee, when he hath heard it, and cease not to upbraid thee. Grace and friendship deliver a man: keep these for thyself, lest thou fall under reproach.
11To speak a word in due time, is like apples of gold on beds of silver.
12As an earring of gold and a bright pearl, so is he that reproveth the wise, and the obedient ear.
13As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to him that sent him, for he refresheth his soul.
14As clouds, and wind, when no rain followeth, so is the man that boasteth, and doth not fulfil his promises.
15By patience a prince shall be appeased, and a soft tongue shall break hardness.
16Thou hast found honey, eat what is sufficient for thee, lest being glutted therewith thou vomit it up.
17Withdraw thy foot from the house of thy neighbour, lest having his fill he hate thee.
18A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour, is like a dart and a sword and a sharp arrow.
19To trust to an unfaithful man in the time of trouble, is like a rotten tooth, and weary foot,
20And one that looseth his garment in cold weather. As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to a very evil heart. As a moth doth by a garment, and a worm by the wood: so the sadness of a man consumeth the heart.
21If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if he thirst, give him water to drink:
22For thou shalt heap hot coals upon his head, and the Lord will reward thee.
23The north wind driveth away rain, as doth a sad countenance a backbiting tongue.
24It is better to sit m a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman, and in a common house.
25As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good tidings from a far country.
26A just man falling down before the wicked, is as a fountain troubled with the foot, and a corrupted spring.
27As it is not good for a man to eat much honey, so he that is a searcher of majesty, shall be overwhelmed by glory.
28As a city that lieth open and is not compassed with walls, so is a man that cannot refrain his own spirit in speaking.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.