Proverbs 25:1-Proverbs 29:27 - More Proverbs Of Solomon

¹ These too are proverbs of Solomon,
which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter
and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
³ As the heaven is high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

⁴ Remove impurities from silver,
and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.
⁵ Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶ Don’t brag about yourself before the king,
and don’t stand in the place of the great;
⁷ for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.

⁸ Don’t take a matter to court hastily.
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent humiliates you?
⁹ Make your case with your opponent
without revealing another’s secret;
¹⁰ otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.

¹¹ A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.
¹² A wise correction to a receptive ear
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

¹³ To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.

¹⁴ The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.
¹⁵ A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
¹⁶ If you find honey, eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.
¹⁷ Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;
otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.

¹⁸ A man giving false testimony against his neighbor
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
¹⁹ Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.

²⁰ Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²² for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

²³ The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴ Better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a house with a nagging wife.
²⁵ Good news from a distant land
is like cold water to a parched throat.
²⁶ A righteous person who yields to the wicked
is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey
or to seek glory after glory.
²⁸ A man who does not control his temper
is like a city whose wall is broken down.

>

¹ Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,
honor is inappropriate for a fool.
² Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools.
⁴ Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness
or you’ll be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his foolishness
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.
⁶ The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.
⁸ Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.
⁹ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by the hand of a drunkard.
¹⁰ The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.
¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.
¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³ The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!”
¹⁴ A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.
¹⁵ The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth.
¹⁶ In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser
than seven men who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷ A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,
¹⁹ so is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

²⁰ Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.
²¹ As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
²² A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.

²³ Smooth lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.
²⁴ A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.
²⁵ When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.
²⁶ Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
²⁷ The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

>

¹ Don’t boast about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what a day might bring.

² Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—
a stranger, and not your own lips.

³ A stone is heavy and sand, a burden,
but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.

⁴ Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?

⁵ Better an open reprimand
than concealed love.

⁶ The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,
but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.

⁷ A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb,
but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸ A man wandering from his home
is like a bird wandering from its nest.

⁹ Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.

¹⁰ Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,
and don’t go to your brother’s house
in your time of calamity;
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

¹¹ Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy,
so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.

¹² A sensible person sees danger and takes cover;
the inexperienced keep going and are punished.

¹³ Take his garment,
for he has put up security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for foreigners.

¹⁴ If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.

¹⁵ An endless dripping on a rainy day
and a nagging wife are alike.

¹⁶ The one who controls her controls the wind
and grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷ Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.

¹⁸ Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever looks after his master will be honored.

¹⁹ As water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.

²⁰ Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and people’s eyes are never satisfied.

²¹ A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,
and a man for the words of his praise.

²² Though you grind a fool
in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
you will not separate his foolishness from him.

²³ Know well the condition of your flock,
and pay attention to your herds,

²⁴ for wealth is not forever;
not even a crown lasts for all time.

²⁵ When hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grain from the hills is gathered in,

²⁶ lambs will provide your clothing,
and goats, the price of a field;

²⁷ there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—
food for your household
and nourishment for your female servants.

>

¹ The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

² When a land is in rebellion, it has many rulers,
but with a discerning and knowledgeable person, it endures.

³ A destitute leader who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

⁴ Those who reject the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law battle against them.

⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.

⁶ Better a poor man who lives with integrity
than a rich man who distorts right and wrong.

⁷ A discerning son keeps the law,
but a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

⁸ Whoever increases his wealth through excessive interest
collects it for one who is kind to the poor.

⁹ Anyone who turns his ear away from hearing the law—
even his prayer is detestable.

¹⁰ The one who leads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will inherit what is good.

¹¹ A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

¹² When the righteous triumph,
there is great rejoicing,
but when the wicked come to power,
people hide themselves.

¹³ The one who conceals his sins
will not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them
will find mercy.

¹⁴ Happy is the one who is always reverent,
but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵ A wicked ruler over a helpless people
is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.

¹⁶ A leader who lacks understanding
is very oppressive,
but one who hates dishonest profit
prolongs his life.

¹⁷ A man burdened by bloodguilt
will be a fugitive until death.
Let no one help him.

¹⁸ The one who lives with integrity will be helped,
but one who distorts right and wrong
will suddenly fall.