Proverbs 25

¹ Also these are Proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed: —

² The honour of God [is] to hide a thing, And the honour of kings to search out a matter.

³ The heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings — [are] unsearchable.

⁴ Take away dross from silver, And a vessel for the refiner goeth forth,

⁵ Take away the wicked before a king, And established in righteousness is his throne.

⁶ Honour not thyself before a king, And in the place of the great stand not.

⁷ For better [that] he hath said to thee, ‘Come thou up hither,’ Than [that] he humble thee before a noble, Whom thine eyes have seen.

⁸ Go not forth to strive, haste, turn, What dost thou in its latter end, When thy neighbour causeth thee to blush?

⁹ Thy cause plead with thy neighbour, And the secret counsel of another reveal not,

¹⁰ Lest the hearer put thee to shame, And thine evil report turn not back.

¹¹ Apples of gold in imagery of silver, [Is] the word spoken at its fit times.

¹² A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, [Is] the wise reprover to an attentive ear.

¹³ As a vessel of snow in a day of harvest, [So is] a faithful ambassador to those sending him, And the soul of his masters he refresheth.

¹⁴ Clouds and wind, and rain there is none, [Is] a man boasting himself in a false gift.

¹⁵ By long-suffering is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh a bone.

¹⁶ Honey thou hast found — eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated [with] it, and hast vomited it.

¹⁷ Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house, Lest he be satiated [with] thee, and have hated thee.

¹⁸ A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, [Is] the man testifying against his neighbour a false testimony.

¹⁹ A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, [Is] the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity.

²⁰ Whoso is taking away a garment in a cold day, [Is as] vinegar on nitre, And a singer of songs on a sad heart.

²¹ If he who is hating thee doth hunger, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirst, cause him to drink water.

²² For coals thou art putting on his head, And Jehovah giveth recompense to thee.

²³ A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue — indignant faces.

²⁴ Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than [with] a woman of contentions, and a house of company.

²⁵ [As] cold waters for a weary soul, So [is] a good report from a far country.

²⁶ A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked.

²⁷ The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one’s own honour — honour.

²⁸ A city broken down without walls, [Is] a man without restraint over his spirit!