Hezekiah’s Collection
which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.
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.
and a vessel will be produced[a] for a silversmith.
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
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.[b]
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent[c] humiliates you?
9 Make your case with your opponent[d]
without revealing another’s secret;
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.[e]
is like gold apples on a silver tray.[f]
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.
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.
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.
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.[g]
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.
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.[h]
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.[i]
28 A man who does not control his temper
is like a city whose wall is broken down.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:4 Lit will come out; Ex 32:24
- Proverbs 25:7 Lit you before a noble whom your eyes see
- Proverbs 25:8 Or neighbor
- Proverbs 25:9 Or neighbor
- Proverbs 25:10 Lit and your evil report will not turn back
- Proverbs 25:11 Or like apples of gold in settings of silver
- Proverbs 25:20 Lit natron, or sodium carbonate
- Proverbs 25:25 Or a weary person
- Proverbs 25:27 Lit seek their glory, glory