Proverbs 25-27

American Standard Version

² It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
³ As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴ Take away the dross from the silver,
And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:
⁵ Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne shall be established in righteousness.
^6 [a]Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king,
And stand not in the place of great men:
⁷ For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither,
Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom thine eyes have seen.
⁸ Go not forth hastily to strive,
^[b]Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,
When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
⁹ Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself,
^[c]And disclose not the secret of another;
¹⁰ Lest he that heareth it revile thee,
And thine infamy turn not away.
¹¹ A word ^[d]fitly spoken
Is like apples of gold in network of silver.
¹² As ^[e]an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold,
So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
¹³ As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,
So is a faithful messenger to them that send him;
For he refresheth the soul of his masters.
¹⁴ As clouds and wind without rain,
So is he that boasteth himself ^[f]of his gifts falsely.
¹⁵ By long forbearing is a ^[g]ruler persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
¹⁶ Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee,
Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
¹⁷ Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor’s house,
Lest he be ^[h]weary of thee, and hate thee.
¹⁸ A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor
Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
¹⁹ Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
²⁰ As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda,
So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.
²¹ If ^[i]thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
²² For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head,
And Jehovah will reward thee.
²³ The north wind bringeth forth rain;
So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
²⁴ It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,
Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.
²⁵ As cold waters to a ^[j]thirsty soul,
So is good news from a far country.
²⁶ As a ^[k]troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring,
So is a righteous man that ^[l]giveth way before the wicked.
²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey;
^[m]So for men to search out their own glory is grievous.
^28 [n]He whose spirit is without restraint
Is like a city that is broken down and without walls.
26 As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,
So honor is not seemly for a fool.
² As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying,
So the curse that is causeless ^[o]alighteth not.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,
And a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
Lest thou also be like unto him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in ^[p]his own conceit.
⁶ He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.
⁷ The legs of the lame hang loose;
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
⁸ As one that bindeth a stone in a sling,
So is he that giveth honor to a fool.
⁹ As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
^10 [q]As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.
¹¹ As a dog that returneth to his vomit,
So is a fool that repeateth his folly.
¹² Seest thou a man wise in ^[r]his own conceit?
There is more hope of a fool than of him.
¹³ The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way;
A lion is in the streets.
¹⁴ As the door turneth upon its hinges,
So doth the sluggard upon his bed.
¹⁵ The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish;
It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in ^[s]his own conceit
Than seven men that can ^[t]render a reason.
^17 [u]He that passeth by, and vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him,
Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
¹⁸ As a madman who casteth firebrands,
Arrows, and death,
¹⁹ So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor,
And saith, Am not I in sport?
²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goeth out;
And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.
²¹ As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to inflame strife.
²² The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts.
²³ Fervent lips and a wicked heart
Are like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross.
²⁴ He that hateth dissembleth with his lips;
But he layeth up deceit within him:
²⁵ When he speaketh fair, believe him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
²⁶ Though his hatred cover itself with guile,
His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.
²⁷ Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;
And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.
²⁸ A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath ^[v]wounded;
And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
27 Boast not thyself of tomorrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
² Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;
A stranger, and not thine own lips.
³ A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty;
But a fool’s vexation is heavier than they both.
⁴ Wrath is cruel, and anger is ^[w]overwhelming;
But who is able to stand before jealousy?
⁵ Better is open rebuke
Than love that is hidden.
⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
⁷ The full soul ^[x]loatheth a honeycomb;
But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
⁸ As a bird that wandereth from her nest,
So is a man that wandereth from his place.
⁹ Oil and perfume rejoice the heart;
So doth the sweetness of a man’s friend that cometh of hearty counsel.
¹⁰ Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not;
And go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity:
Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
¹¹ My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him that reproacheth me.
¹² A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
¹³ Take his garment that is surety for a stranger;
And hold him in pledge that is surety for a foreign woman.
¹⁴ He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It shall be counted a curse to him.
¹⁵ A continual dropping in a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike:
¹⁶ He that would ^[y]restrain her ^[z]restraineth the wind;
And ^[aa]his right hand encountereth oil.
¹⁷ Iron sharpeneth iron;
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
¹⁸ Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof;
And he that regardeth his master shall be honored.
^19 [ab]As in water face answereth to face,
So the heart of man to man.
²⁰ Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied;
And the eyes of man are never satisfied.
²¹ The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
And a man is tried by ^[ac]his praise.
²² Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

²³ Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
And look well to thy herds:
²⁴ For riches are not for ever;
And doth the crown endure unto all generations?
²⁵ The ^[ad]hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
²⁶ The lambs are for thy clothing,
And the goats are the price of the field;
²⁷ And there will be goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household,
And maintenance for thy maidens.