Proverbs 25:1-14
Proverbs 25:1-14 The Message (MSG)
There are also these proverbs of Solomon, collected by scribes of Hezekiah, king of Judah. God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things. Like the horizons for breadth and the ocean for depth, the understanding of a good leader is broad and deep. Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring. Don’t work yourself into the spotlight; don’t push your way into the place of prominence. It’s better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted. Don’t jump to conclusions—there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw. In the heat of an argument, don’t betray confidences; Word is sure to get around, and no one will trust you. The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry, And a wise friend’s timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger. Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing! Like billowing clouds that bring no rain is the person who talks big but never produces.
Proverbs 25:1-14 King James Version (KJV)
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the honour of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince Whom thine eyes have seen. Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; And discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, And thine infamy turn not away. A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him: For he refresheth the soul of his masters. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift Is like clouds and wind without rain.
Proverbs 25:1-14 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness. Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen. Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you? Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another, Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away. Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.
Proverbs 25:1-14 New Century Version (NCV)
These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah. God is honored for what he keeps secret. Kings are honored for what they can discover. No one can measure the height of the skies or the depth of the earth. So also no one can understand the mind of a king. Remove the scum from the silver, so the silver can be used by the silversmith. Remove wicked people from the king’s presence; then his government will be honest and last a long time. Don’t brag to the king and act as if you are great. It is better for him to give you a higher position than to bring you down in front of the prince. Because of something you have seen, do not quickly take someone to court. What will you do later when your neighbor proves you wrong? If you have an argument with your neighbor, don’t tell other people what was said. Whoever hears it might shame you, and you might not ever be respected again. The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl. A wise warning to someone who will listen is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry. Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them, like the coolness of snow in the summertime. People who brag about gifts they never give are like clouds and wind that give no rain.
Proverbs 25:1-14 American Standard Version (ASV)
These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner: Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness. Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, And disclose not the secret of another; Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away. A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in network of silver. As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters. As clouds and wind without rain, So is he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely.
Proverbs 25:1-14 New International Version (NIV)
These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel; remove wicked officials from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness. Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand. Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear. Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master. Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given.
Proverbs 25:1-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness. Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of the great; For it is better that he say to you, “Come up here,” Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen. Do not go hastily to court; For what will you do in the end, When your neighbor has put you to shame? Debate your case with your neighbor, And do not disclose the secret to another; Lest he who hears it expose your shame, And your reputation be ruined. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear. Like the cold of snow in time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Whoever falsely boasts of giving Is like clouds and wind without rain.
Proverbs 25:1-14 Amplified Bible (AMP)
These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the hearts and minds of kings are unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out [the pure metal for] a vessel for the silversmith [to shape]. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness. Do not be boastfully ambitious and claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen. Do not rush out to argue your case [before magistrates or judges]; Otherwise what will you do in the end [when your case is lost and] When your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you? Argue your case with your neighbor himself [before you go to court]; And do not reveal another’s secret, Or he who hears it will shame you And the rumor about you [and your action in court] will have no end. Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken at the right time. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to an ear that listens and learns. Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to those who send him; For he refreshes the life of his masters. Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts falsely of gifts [he does not give].
Proverbs 25:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah. It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them. No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind! Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king’s court, and his reign will be made secure by justice. Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something, don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat? When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret. Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation. Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket. To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry. Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer. A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
Proverbs 25:1-14 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah: God conceals the revelation of his word in the hiding place of his glory. But the honor of kings is revealed by how they thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says. The heart of a king is full of understanding, like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep. If you burn away the impurities from silver, a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire. And if you purge corruption from the kingdom, a king’s reign will be established in righteousness. Don’t boast in the presence of a king or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table and pretending that you’re someone important. For it is better for the king to say to you, “Come, you should sit at the head table,” than for him to say in front of everyone, “Please get up and move— you’re sitting in the place of the prince.” Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit. By starting something you wish you hadn’t, you could be humiliated when you lose your case. Don’t reveal another person’s secret just to prove a point in an argument, or you could be accused of being a gossip and gain a reputation for being one who betrays the confidence of a friend. Winsome words spoken at just the right time are as appealing as apples gilded in gold surrounded with silver. When you humbly receive wise correction, it adorns your life with beauty and makes you a better person. A reliable, trustworthy messenger refreshes the heart of his master, like a gentle snowfall at harvest time. Clouds that carry no water and a wind that brings no refreshing rain — that’s what you’re like when you boast of a gift that you don’t have.
Proverbs 25:1-14 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.