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25These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.
²It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
³Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
⁴Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great;
⁷for 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 ⁸do not hastily bring into court;
for what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹Argue your case with your neighbor directly,
and do not disclose another’s secret;
¹⁰or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute will have no end. ¹¹A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹²Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
are faithful messengers to those who send them;
they refresh the spirit of their masters.
¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of a gift never given.
¹⁵With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break bones.
¹⁶If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
or else, having too much, you will vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.
¹⁸Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow
is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.
¹⁹Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.
²⁰Like vinegar on a wound
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.
²¹If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat;
and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink;
²²for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,
and the Lord will reward you.
²³The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.
²⁶Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
are the righteous who give way before the wicked.
²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,
or to seek honor on top of honor.
²⁸Like a city breached, without walls,
is one who lacks self-control.
26Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
²Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴Do not answer fools according to their folly,
or you will be a fool yourself.
⁵Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will be wise in their own eyes.
⁶It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,
to send a message by a fool.
⁷The legs of a disabled person hang limp;
so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
⁸It is like binding a stone in a sling
to give honor to a fool.
⁹Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everybody
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.
¹¹Like a dog that returns to its vomit
is a fool who reverts to his folly.
¹²Do you see persons wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.
¹³The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a lazy person in bed.
¹⁵The lazy person buries a hand in the dish,
and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.
¹⁶The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem
than seven who can answer discreetly.
¹⁷Like somebody who takes a passing dog by the ears
is one who meddles in the quarrel of another.
¹⁸Like a maniac who shoots deadly firebrands and arrows, ¹⁹so is one who deceives a neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
²¹As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
²²The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
²³Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
are smooth lips with an evil heart.
²⁴An enemy dissembles in speaking
while harboring deceit within;
²⁵when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,
for there are seven abominations concealed within;
²⁶though hatred is covered with guile,
the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.