¹These also are proverbs of Shlomo; the men of Hizkiyah king of Y’hudah copied them out:

²God gets glory from concealing things;

kings get glory from investigating things.

³Like the sky for height or the earth for depth

is the heart of kings — unfathomable.

⁴Remove the impurities from the silver,

and the smith has material to make a vessel.

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,

and his throne will rest firmly on righteousness.

⁶Don’t put yourself forward in the king’s presence;

don’t take a place among the great.

⁷For it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than be degraded in the presence of a nobleman.

What your eyes have seen,

⁸don’t rush to present in a dispute.

For what will you do later on,

if your neighbor puts you to shame?

⁹Discuss your dispute with your neighbor,

but don’t reveal another person’s secrets.

¹⁰If you do, and he hears of it, he will disgrace you,

and your bad reputation will stick.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver

is a word appropriately spoken.

¹²Like a gold earring, like a fine gold necklace

is a wise reprover to a receptive ear.

¹³Like the coldness of snow in the heat of the harvest

is a faithful messenger to the one who sends him;

he refreshes his master’s spirit.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind that bring no rain

is he who boasts of gifts he never gives.

¹⁵With patience a ruler may be won over,

and a gentle tongue can break bones.

¹⁶If you find honey, eat only what you need;

for if you eat too much of it, you may throw it up;

¹⁷so don’t visit your neighbor too much,

or he may get his fill of you and come to hate you.

¹⁸Like a club, a sword or a sharp arrow

is a person who gives false testimony against a neighbor.

¹⁹Relying on an untrustworthy person in a time of trouble

is like [relying on] a broken tooth or an unsteady leg.

²⁰Like removing clothes on a chilly day or like vinegar on soda

is someone who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If someone who hates you is hungry, give him food to eat;

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²²For you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head,

and Adonai will reward you.

²³The north wind brings rain

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

²⁴It is better to live on a corner of the roof

than to share the house with a nagging wife.

²⁵Like cold water to a person faint from thirst

is good news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It isn’t good to eat too much honey

or to seek honor after honor.

²⁸Like a city breached, without walls,

is a person who lacks self-control.