Proverbs

25 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah

of Judah compiled:

2 It is God’s glory to keep a matter veiled;

it is kings’ glory to investigate a matter.

3 Sky for height and earth for depth

and man’s heart inscrutable.

4* Dislodge dross from silver

and have a piece of ware come out for the silversmith;

5 Dislodge a rascal before a king

and have his throne stand firm in right.

6 Do not put on airs before a king

nor stand in the place for great men,

7* Because it is better to have him say to you “Come up here”

than to have him put you down before a nobleman.

8* Do not hurry to pass out by wholesale

what your eyes have seen,

Because what will you do in the sequel

when somebody humiliates you?

9 Fight your case against your opponent,

but do not betray another man’s secret,

10* For fear one who hears should brand you with disgrace

and you should never get your reputation back.

11** A word spoken to the point

is golden apples in silver artwork.

12 A wise admonisher to a listening ear

is a gold earring and a nugget-gold pendant.

13 Like the coolness of snow in midsummer heat

is a trusty courier to those who send him,

and he puts life back into his master.

14 A man who brags of a fictitious gift

is scud and wind and no shower.

15 By patience a chieftain is cajoled;

and a soft tongue breaks bones.

16 If you find honey, eat what is enough for you,

for fear you should be glutted and throw it up.

17 Make your foot a rarity in your neighbor’s house

for fear he should have enough of you and come to hate you.

18 A man who testifies falsely against another

is a mace and a sword and a barbed arrow.

19 One who is treacherous in a pinch

is a bad tooth and a shaky foot.

20** Vinegar on soda

and a singer of songs to a heavy heart.

Like a moth in a cloak and like rot of wood,

so grief eats away a man’s mind.

21* If your enemy is hungry feed him,

and if he is thirsty give him a drink,

22 Because you will be shoveling live coals on his head,

and Jehovah will repay you.

23** A north wind scares away a shower,

and hostile faces an underhand tongue.

24 Better living on the corner of a roof

than a home shared with a quarrelsome woman.

25* Cold water on a palate exhausted with thirst

and good news from a distant country.

26* An honest man compromising with a rogue

is a water-hole trampled up and a spring spoiled.

27* Eating honey in quantity is not a good thing,

and making grandeur a rarity is better than grandeur.

28 A man whose spirit does not have a control

is a broken city that does not have a wall.