Proverbs 25
25
More of Solomon's Proverbs
1Here are more of Solomon's proverbs, copied by men at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.
2We honour God for what he conceals; we honour kings for what they explain.
3You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean.
4Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty. 5Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice.
6 #
Lk 14.8–10
When you stand before the king, don't try to impress him and pretend to be important. 7It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important.
8Don't be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?
9If you and your neighbour have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. 10Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.
11An idea well expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.
12A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewellery made of the finest gold.
13A reliable messenger is refreshing to the one who sends him, like cold water in the heat of harvest time.
14People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
15Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance and can even convince rulers.
16Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit. 17Don't visit your neighbours too often; they may get tired of you and come to hate you.
18A false accusation is as deadly as a sword, a club, or a sharp arrow.
19Depending on an unreliable person in a crisis is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot.
20Singing to a person who is depressed is like taking off his clothes on a cold day or like rubbing salt in a wound.
21 #
Rom 12.20
If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink. 22You will make them burn with shame, and the LORD will reward you.
23Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.
24Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.
25Finally, hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.
26A good person who gives in to someone who is evil reminds you of a polluted spring or a poisoned well.
27Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.#25.27 Probable text and so… praise; Hebrew unclear.
28If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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