² It is God’s privilege to conceal things
    and the king’s privilege to discover them.

³ No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,
    or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

⁴ Remove the impurities from silver,
    and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
⁵ Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice.

⁶ Don’t demand an audience with the king
    or push for a place among the great.
⁷ It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
    than to be sent away in public disgrace.

Just because you’ve seen something,
⁸     don’t be in a hurry to go to court.
For what will you do in the end
    if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?

⁹ When arguing with your neighbor,
    don’t betray another person’s secret.
¹⁰ Others may accuse you of gossip,
    and you will never regain your good reputation.

¹¹ Timely advice is lovely,
    like golden apples in a silver basket.

¹² To one who listens, valid criticism
    is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.

¹³ Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer.
    They revive the spirit of their employer.

¹⁴ A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it
    is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

¹⁵ Patience can persuade a prince,
    and soft speech can break bones.

¹⁶ Do you like honey?
    Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!

¹⁷ Don’t visit your neighbors too often,
    or you will wear out your welcome.

¹⁸ Telling lies about others
    is as harmful as hitting them with an ax,
wounding them with a sword,
    or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

¹⁹ Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble
    is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.

²⁰ Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart
    is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather
    or pouring vinegar in a wound.^[a]

²¹ If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.
    If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
²² You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads,
    and the Lord will reward you.

²³ As surely as a north wind brings rain,
    so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

²⁴ It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic
    than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

²⁵ Good news from far away
    is like cold water to the thirsty.

²⁶ If the godly give in to the wicked,
    it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.

²⁷ It’s not good to eat too much honey,
    and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.

²⁸ A person without self-control
    is like a city with broken-down walls.

26 Honor is no more associated with fools
    than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
    an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

³ Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
    and a fool with a rod to his back!

⁴ Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵ Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or they will become wise in their own estimation.

⁶ Trusting a fool to convey a message
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

⁷ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
    is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

⁸ Honoring a fool
    is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

⁹ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
    is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

¹⁰ An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
    is like an archer who shoots at random.

¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so a fool repeats his foolishness.

¹² There is more hope for fools
    than for people who think they are wise.

¹³ The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
    Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

¹⁴ As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
    so the lazy person turns over in bed.

¹⁵ Lazy people take food in their hand
    but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

¹⁶ Lazy people consider themselves smarter
    than seven wise counselors.

¹⁷ Interfering in someone else’s argument
    is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

¹⁸ Just as damaging
    as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
¹⁹ is someone who lies to a friend
    and then says, “I was only joking.”

²⁰ Fire goes out without wood,
    and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

²¹ A quarrelsome person starts fights
    as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

²² Rumors are dainty morsels
    that sink deep into one’s heart.

²³ Smooth^[b] words may hide a wicked heart,
    just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

²⁴ People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
    but they’re deceiving you.
²⁵ They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
    Their hearts are full of many evils.^[c]
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
    their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

²⁷ If you set a trap for others,
    you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
    it will crush you instead.

²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and flattering words cause ruin.

27 Don’t brag about tomorrow,
    since you don’t know what the day will bring.

² Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
    a stranger, not your own lips.

³ A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
    but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.

⁴ Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
    but jealousy is even more dangerous.

⁵ An open rebuke
    is better than hidden love!

⁶ Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy.

⁷ A person who is full refuses honey,
    but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

⁸ A person who strays from home
    is like a bird that strays from its nest.

⁹ The heartfelt counsel of a friend
    is as sweet as perfume and incense.

¹⁰ Never abandon a friend—
    either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
    It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

¹¹ Be wise, my child,^[d] and make my heart glad.
    Then I will be able to answer my critics.

¹² A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
    The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

¹³ Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
    Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.^[e]

¹⁴ A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning
    will be taken as a curse!

¹⁵ A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
    as constant dripping on a rainy day.
¹⁶ Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind
    or trying to hold something with greased hands.

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend.

¹⁸ As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,
    so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

¹⁹ As a face is reflected in water,
    so the heart reflects the real person.

²⁰ Just as Death and Destruction^[f] are never satisfied,
    so human desire is never satisfied.

²¹ Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
    but a person is tested by being praised.^[g]

²² You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
    even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

²³ Know the state of your flocks,
    and put your heart into caring for your herds,
²⁴ for riches don’t last forever,
    and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
²⁵ After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
    and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
²⁶ your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
    and your goats will provide the price of a field.
²⁷ And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
    your family, and your servant girls.

“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing praises to your name.”^[c]

“Rejoice with his people,
    you Gentiles.”^[d]

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
    Praise him, all you people of the earth.”^[e]

“The heir to David’s throne^[f] will come,
    and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”^[g]

“Those who have never been told about him will see,
    and those who have never heard of him will understand.”^[k]