Proverbes 25

¹ These too are proverbs of Solomon,
which the men of King Hezekiah 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 heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

⁴ Remove impurities from silver,
and material 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 boast 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 in silver settings.

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 envoy
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.

¹⁴ The one 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 person 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 person who does not control his temper
is like a city whose wall is broken down.