Proverbs 25

New International Version

More Proverbs of Solomon

25 These are more proverbs^(A) of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:^(B)

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.^(C)
³As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Remove the dross from the silver,
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
⁵remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,^(D)
and his throne will be established^(E) through righteousness.^(F)

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among his great men;
⁷it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”^(G)
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.

What you have seen with your eyes
⁸ do not bring^[a] hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?^(H)

⁹If you take your neighbor to court,
do not betray another’s confidence,
¹⁰or the one who hears it may shame you
and the charge against you will stand.

¹¹Like apples^[b] of gold in settings of silver^(I)
is a ruling rightly given.
¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.^(J)

¹³Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
    is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
    he refreshes the spirit of his master.^(K)
¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain
    is one who boasts of gifts never given.

¹⁵Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,^(L)
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.^(M)

¹⁶If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.^(N)
¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
too much of you, and they will hate you.

¹⁸Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
    is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.^(O)
¹⁹Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
    is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
²⁰Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
    or like vinegar poured on a wound,
    is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
²²In doing this, you will heap burning coals^(P) on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.^(Q)

²³Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain
is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.

²⁴Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.^(R)

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.^(S)
²⁶Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
are the righteous who give way to the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat too much honey,^(T)
nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.^(U)

²⁸Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.

Footnotes

Proverbs 25:8 Or nobles / on whom you had set your eyes. / ⁸Do not go
Proverbs 25:11 Or possibly apricots

Revelation 11-12

New International Version

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ²But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^(E) ³And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^(H) ⁴They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^[a]^(J) ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^(L) ⁶They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^(U) ⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(V) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^(W) ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth^(X) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(Y) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after the three and a half days^(Z) the breath^[b] of life from God entered them,^(AA) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(AB) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(AC) while their enemies looked on.

¹³At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(AD) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(AE) to the God of heaven.^(AF)

¹⁴The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(AG)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(AH) and there were loud voices^(AI) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,^(AJ)
and he will reign for ever and ever.”^(AK)

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders,^(AL) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(AM) and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying:

“We give thanks^(AN) to you, Lord God Almighty,^(AO)
    the One who is and who was,^(AP)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.^(AQ)
¹⁸The nations were angry,^(AR)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,^(AS)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets^(AT)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small^(AU)—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹Then God’s temple^(AV) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(AW) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(AX) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(AY)

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign^(AZ) appeared in heaven:^(BA) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars^(BB) on her head. ²She was pregnant and cried out in pain^(BC) as she was about to give birth. ³Then another sign appeared in heaven:^(BD) an enormous red dragon^(BE) with seven heads^(BF) and ten horns^(BG) and seven crowns^(BH) on its heads. ⁴Its tail swept a third^(BI) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.^(BJ) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child^(BK) the moment he was born. ⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”^[c]^(BL) And her child was snatched up^(BM) to God and to his throne. ⁶The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.^(BN)

⁷Then war broke out in heaven. Michael^(BO) and his angels fought against the dragon,^(BP) and the dragon and his angels^(BQ) fought back. ⁸But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent^(BR) called the devil,^(BS) or Satan,^(BT) who leads the whole world astray.^(BU) He was hurled to the earth,^(BV) and his angels with him.

¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven^(BW) say:

“Now have come the salvation^(BX) and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,^(BY)
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.
¹¹They triumphed over^(BZ) him
    by the blood of the Lamb^(CA)
    and by the word of their testimony;^(CB)
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.^(CC)
¹²Therefore rejoice, you heavens^(CD)
    and you who dwell in them!
But woe^(CE) to the earth and the sea,^(CF)
    because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

¹³When the dragon^(CG) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.^(CH) ¹⁴The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,^(CI) so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,^(CJ) out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵Then from his mouth the serpent^(CK) spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war^(CL) against the rest of her offspring^(CM)—those who keep God’s commands^(CN) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.^(CO)