² ·God is honored for what he keeps secret [^LIt is the glory of God to hide a matter/things; Deut. 29:29].
·Kings are honored for what they can discover [^LIt is the glory of kings to examine them].

³ No one can ·measure [examine] the height of the skies or the depth of the earth.
So also no one can ·understand [examine] the ·mind [^Lheart] of a king.

⁴ ·Remove [Separate] the ·scum [dross] from the silver,
    so ·the silver can be used by the silversmith [^La vessel will come out for refining].
⁵ ·Remove [Separate] wicked people from the king’s presence;
    then his ·government [^Lthrone] will be ·honest and last a long time [^Lestablished in righteousness].

⁶ Don’t ·brag [honor yourself] to the king
    and ·act as if you are great [^Ldon’t stand in the place of important people].
⁷ It is better for him to ·give you a higher position [^Lsay to you, “Come up here”]
    than to bring you down in front of the prince [Luke 14:7–11].

Because of something you have seen,
⁸     do not quickly take someone to court.
What will you do later
    when your neighbor ·proves you wrong [^Lhumiliates/shames you]?

⁹ ·If you have an argument with [^LMake your accusations against] your neighbor,
    ·don’t tell other people what was said [keep it a secret from others].
¹⁰ Whoever hears it might shame you,
    and ·you might not ever be respected again [^Lthe slander against you will never stop].

¹¹ The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver ·bowl [^Lsetting].

¹² A wise ·warning [correction] to ·someone who will listen [^La listening ear]
is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.

¹³ Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them,
like the coolness of snow ·in the summertime [^Lat harvest time].

¹⁴ People who brag about gifts they never give
are like clouds and wind that give no rain.

¹⁵ With patience you can convince a ruler,
and a ·gentle [tender] word ·can get through to the hard-headed [^Lbreaks bone].

¹⁶ If you find honey, ·don’t eat too much [eat the right amount],
    or it will make you full and you will throw up.
¹⁷ ·Don’t go to your neighbor’s house too often [^LRarely let your feet step into your neighbor’s house];
    ·too much of you will make him [^Lthey will have their fill of you and] hate you.

¹⁸ When you ·lie [falsely testify] about your neighbors [Ex. 20:16],
it hurts them as much as a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹ Trusting unfaithful people ·when you are in [^Lon a day of] trouble
is like eating with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot.

²⁰ Singing songs to ·someone who is sad [^La troubled heart]
    is like taking away his coat on a cold day
or pouring vinegar on soda [^Csodium bicarbonate; mixing the two would cause an adverse reaction; the Greek Old Testament reads “scab” or “wound” instead of “soda”].

²¹ If ·your enemy [^Lone you hate] is hungry, feed him.
    If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
²² Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you [Rom. 12:19–21].

²³ As the north wind brings rain,
·telling gossip [^La hidden tongue] brings angry looks.

²⁴ It is better to live in a corner on the roof [21:9]
than inside the house with a ·quarreling [contentious] wife.

²⁵ Good news from a faraway place
is like a cool drink when you are tired.

²⁶ A good person who ·gives in to [staggers before] evil
is like a ·muddy [foul] spring or a ·dirty [ruined] well.

²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor does it bring you honor to ·brag about yourself [seek honor].

²⁸ Those who ·do not control themselves [are unrestrained in spirit]
are like a city whose walls are broken down.