Hezekiah’s Collection
25 These too are proverbs of Solomon,(A)
which the men of Hezekiah,(B) king of Judah, copied.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter(C)
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.
4 Remove impurities from silver,(D)
and a vessel will be produced[a] for a silversmith.(E)
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,(F)
and his throne will be established in righteousness.(G)
6 Don’t brag 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.[b](H)
8 Don’t take a matter to court hastily.(I)
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;(J)
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.[e]
11 A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.[f](K)
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear(L)
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.
13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.(M)
14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.(N)
15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.(O)
16 If you find honey,(P) eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.(Q)
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;
otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.
18 A man giving false testimony against his neighbor(R)
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.(S)
19 Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.(T)
20 Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.[g](U)
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;(V)
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.(W)
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.(X)
25 Good news from a distant land
is like cold water to a parched throat.[h](Y)
26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked(Z)
is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.(AA)
27 It is not good to eat too much honey(AB)
or to seek glory after glory.[i](AC)
28 A man who does not control his temper(AD)
is like a city whose wall is broken down.(AE)
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
Cross references
- 25:1 : Pr 1:1
- 25:1 : 2Kg 18–20
- 25:2 : Dt 29:29; Rm 11:33
- 25:4 : Ezk 22:18; Mal 3:2-3
- 25:4 : 2Tm 2:21
- 25:5 : Pr 20:8, 26
- 25:5 : Pr 16:12
- 25:7 : Lk 14:7-11
- 25:8 : Pr 17:14; Mt 5:25; 1Co 6:7
- 25:9 : Pr 17:9; Mt 18:15
- 25:11 : Pr 8:10; 15:23; 16:16
- 25:12 : Pr 15:31
- 25:13 : Pr 13:17; 16:24; 25:25
- 25:14 : Jd 12
- 25:15 : Pr 15:1; 16:14, 32; Ec 10:4
- 25:16 : Jdg 14:8; 1Sm 14:25
- 25:16 : Pr 25:27
- 25:18 : Ex 20:16; Pr 24:28
- 25:18 : Ps 57:4; Pr 12:18
- 25:19 : 2Kg 18:21
- 25:20 : Rm 12:15
- 25:21 : Ex 23:4-5; 2Kg 6:22; 2Ch 28:15; Mt 5:44; Rm 12:20
- 25:22 : Mt 6:4
- 25:24 : Pr 15:17; 17:1; 21:9, 19
- 25:25 : Pr 15:30
- 25:26 : Dt 13:6-8; Gl 2:4-5
- 25:26 : Ezk 32:2; 34:18-19
- 25:27 : Pr 25:16
- 25:27 : Pr 27:2
- 25:28 : Pr 16:32; 29:11
- 25:28 : Neh 1:3