Analogies of Wisdom

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²¶It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,

So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver,

And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

⁵Take away the wicked before the king,

And his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,

And in the place of great men do not stand;

⁷For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”

Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,

Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸¶Do not go out hastily to plead your case ;

Lest, what will you do in the end,

When your neighbor humiliates you?

⁹Plead your case with your neighbor,

And do not reveal the secret of another,

¹⁰Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,

And the bad report about you will not turn away.

¹¹¶Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

¹²Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold[#25:12 Or a nose ring]

Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest[#25:13 Lit day]

Is a faithful envoy to those who send him,

For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain

Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.

¹⁵When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat only enough for you,

Lest you have more than your fill and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,

Lest he have more than his fill of you and hate you.

¹⁸Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow

Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

¹⁹Like an aching tooth and a slipping foot[#25:19 Lit a bad]

Is trust in a treacherous man in a day of distress.

²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda,[#25:20 Or natron]

Is he who sings songs to an aching heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;[#25:21 Lit one who hates you]

And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For you will heap burning coals on his head,[#25:22 Lit snatch up]

And Yahweh will repay you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain,

And a tongue of secrets, an indignant face.

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

Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul,

So is a good report from a distant land.

²⁶Like a muddied spring and a corrupted well

Is a righteous man shaking before the wicked.

²⁷To eat too much honey is not good,

Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

²⁸Like a city that is broken into and without a wall

Is a man without restraint over his spirit.