Proverbs 25
25
1These also are Solomon’s proverbs that were copied by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah.
Advice for Kings
2It is the glory of God to hide things
but the glory of kings to investigate them.
3 ⌞Like⌟ the high heavens and the deep earth,
so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
4Take the impurities out of silver,
and a vessel is ready for the silversmith to mold.
5Take a wicked person away from the presence of a king,
and justice will make his throne secure.
6Do not brag about yourself in front of a king
or stand in the spot that belongs to notable people,
7because it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put down in front of a prince
whom your eyes have seen.
8Do not be in a hurry to go to court.
What will you do in the end if your neighbor disgraces you?
9Present your argument to your neighbor,
but do not reveal another person’s secret.
10Otherwise, when he hears about it, he will humiliate you,
and his evil report about you will never disappear.
11 ⌞Like⌟ golden apples in silver settings,
⌞so⌟ is a word spoken at the right time.
12 ⌞Like⌟ a gold ring and a fine gold ornament,
⌞so⌟ is constructive criticism to the ear of one who listens.
13Like the coolness of snow on a harvest day,
⌞so⌟ is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him:
He refreshes his masters.
14 ⌞Like⌟ a dense fog or a dust storm,
⌞so⌟ is a person who brags about a gift that he does not give.
15With patience you can persuade a ruler,
and a soft tongue can break bones.
16When you find honey, eat only as much as you need.
Otherwise, you will have too much and vomit.
17Do not set foot in your neighbor’s house too often.
Otherwise, he will see too much of you and hate you.
18 ⌞Like⌟ a club and a sword and a sharp arrow,
⌞so⌟ is a person who gives false testimony against his neighbor.
19 ⌞Like⌟ a broken tooth and a lame foot,
⌞so⌟ is confidence in an unfaithful person in a ⌞time of⌟ crisis.
20 ⌞Like⌟ taking off a coat on a cold day
or pouring vinegar on baking soda,
so is singing songs to one who has an evil heart.
21If your enemy is hungry, give him some food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him some water to drink.
22 ⌞In this way⌟ you will make him feel guilty and ashamed,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 ⌞As⌟ the north wind brings rain,
so a whispering tongue brings angry looks.
24Better to live on a corner of a roof
than to share a home with a quarreling woman.
25 ⌞Like⌟ cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from far away.
26 ⌞Like⌟ a muddied spring and a polluted well,
⌞so⌟ is a righteous person who gives in to a wicked person.
27Eating too much honey is not good,
and searching for honor is not honorable.
28 ⌞Like⌟ a city broken into ⌞and⌟ left without a wall,
⌞so⌟ is a person who lacks self-control.
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Proverbs 25: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 25
25
1These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the scribes of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
2God's greatness is in doing things that can't be known, while the greatness of kings is in revealing things.
3Just as the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth can't be known, the king's thinking can't be known.
4Remove the waste from the silver, and the silversmith has pure silver to work with.
5Remove the wicked from the king's presence and the king will rule securely and justly.
6Don't try to make yourself look great before the king, and don't pretend to be among the important people,
7for it's better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be humiliated before a nobleman. Even though you've seen something with your own eyes,
8don't rush to take legal action, for what are you going to do in the end when your neighbor shows you're wrong and humiliates you?
9Discuss the case with your neighbor himself, and don't betray someone else's secret,
10otherwise whoever hears it will make you ashamed and you'll never lose your bad reputation.
11Advice given at the right time is like golden apples set in silver.
12Constructive criticism from the wise to someone who listens is like a gold ring and a necklace of fine gold.
13Faithful messengers are as refreshing to their master as cold snow on a hot harvest day.
14Someone who boasts about a gift they never give is like cloud and wind without rain.
15If you're patient you can persuade your superior, and soft words can break down opposition.#25:15. “Break down opposition”: literally “break bones,” in other words, have a powerful effect.
16If you find honey, eat just enough, for if you eat too much, you'll be sick.
17Don't set foot in your neighbors' homes too often, otherwise they'll get fed up with you and hate you.
18Telling lies in court against a friend is like attacking them with a mace, or a sword, or an arrow.
19Trusting in unreliable people in times of trouble is like eating with a broken tooth or walking on a bad foot.
20Singing happy songs to someone who's broken-hearted is like taking off your coat on a cold day, or pouring vinegar onto an open wound.#25:20. “An open wound”: Septuagint reading. Hebrew has “soda.” Vinegar on soda would cause an effervescent reaction.
21If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he's thirsty, give him a drink of water.
22This will make him ashamed as if he had burning coals piled on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
23In the same way that the north wind brings rain, slandering people makes them angry.
24It's better to live in a corner of a housetop than to share a whole house with an argumentative wife.
25Good news from a distant country is like cold water to an exhausted traveler.
26Good people who give in to the wicked are like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
27It's not good to eat too much honey, or to want too much praise.#25:27. The second part of this verse is uncertain.
28Someone without control is as exposed as a town whose walls have been breached.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com