Proverbs 25-29

Evangelical Heritage Version

25 These also are the proverbs of Solomon,
which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah compiled.^[a]

² It brings glory to God to hide a matter,
but it brings glory to kings to investigate a matter.
³ As heaven is high and earth is deep,
so there is no searching the heart of kings.

⁴ Remove impurities from silver,
and a vessel can be cast by a silversmith.
⁵ Remove a wicked person from a king’s presence,
and his throne will be established with righteousness.

⁶ Do not honor yourself in a king’s presence.
Do not stand in a place reserved for great people,
⁷ because it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than for you to be humiliated before a ruler
    whom your eyes have seen.^[b]

⁸ Do not be in a hurry to go to court.
Otherwise, what will you do afterward,
when your neighbor humiliates you?
⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor,
but do not reveal someone else’s secret.
¹⁰ If you do, the person who hears it will shame you,
and your bad reputation will never leave you.

¹¹ A word spoken at the right time
    is like golden apples in silver settings.
¹² To ears that listen, a wise person’s correction
    is like a gold ring or like jewelry made of pure gold.
¹³ To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
    is like cooling snow on a warm day during harvest.
He refreshes his masters’ spirits.
¹⁴ A person who brags about a gift that is never given
    is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
¹⁵ By patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break a bone.
¹⁶ When you find honey, eat only what you need.
Otherwise you will be filled with it and vomit it up.
¹⁷ Do not set foot in your neighbor’s house too often.
If you do, he will have too much of you and hate you.
¹⁸ A person who gives false testimony against his neighbor
    is a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
¹⁹ Confidence in an unfaithful person during a time of crisis
    is like a broken tooth or a lame foot.
²⁰ Singing songs to a despondent heart
    is like taking off a coat on a cold day
    or like vinegar on baking soda.
²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink,
²² because you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will repay you.
²³ A north wind gives birth to rain,
and a whispering tongue gives birth to angry faces.
²⁴ Better to live on the corner of a roof
than in a home shared with a nagging wife.
²⁵ Good news from a distant country is
like cold water for a weary soul.
²⁶ A righteous person who is swayed by the wicked
is a muddied spring or a polluted fountain.
²⁷ Eating too much honey is not good,
and people seeking their own glory is not glorious.^[c]
28 A person who lacks self-control
is like a broken-down city without a wall.

26 Like snow during summer and rain during the harvest,
so honor is not appropriate for a fool.
² Like a migrating bird or a flying swallow,
so an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
³ A whip is for horses, a bridle for donkeys,
and a rod for the backs of fools.

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly.
If you do, you yourself will become like him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly.
If you do not, he will consider himself wise.

⁶ It is like cutting off your own feet or drinking violence^[d]
when a person sends messages in the hand of a fool.
⁷ The legs of a lame person dangle.
So does a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Giving honor to a fool is
    like tying a stone in a slingshot.
⁹ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
    is like a thorn in a drunkard’s hand.
¹⁰ One who hires a fool or someone just passing by
    is like an archer who wounds at random.^[e]
11 As a dog returns to his vomit,
so a fool repeats his stupidity.
¹² Have you seen a person who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³ A lazy person says, “There’s a ferocious lion in the street.
There’s a lion in the public square!”
¹⁴ A door turns on its hinges,
and a lazy person turns on his bed.
¹⁵ A lazy person buries his hand in a dish,
but he is too tired to return it to his mouth.
¹⁶ A lazy person considers himself wiser
than seven people who answer sensibly.

¹⁷ A passerby who meddles in a quarrel that is not his
is like a person who grabs a dog by the ears.
¹⁸ A person who deceives his neighbor and then says, “I was only joking,”
¹⁹ is like a madman who shoots firebrands and deadly arrows.^[f]

²⁰ When there is no more wood, a fire goes out,
and without gossip, a quarrel dies down.
²¹ As charcoal is to hot embers and as wood is to fire,
so a quarrelsome person is to igniting a fight.

²² Words of a gossip are like food that is easy to swallow.
They go down to the depths of one’s heart.^[g]
23 Fervent^[h] lips and an evil heart
are like a glaze^[i] covering a clay pot.
²⁴ With his lips a person hides his hatred,
but he hides deceit inside.
²⁵ When his voice sounds gracious, do not believe him,
because seven abominations are in his heart.
²⁶ His hatred covers itself with deceit,
but his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

²⁷ The person who digs a pit will fall into it.
The person who rolls away a stone—it will roll back over him.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a smooth mouth causes ruin.

27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
because you do not know what a day may produce.
² Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
³ A stone is heavy and sand is a burden,
but aggravation from a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
⁴ Cruel wrath and a flood of anger are devastating,
but who can stand up against jealousy?
⁵ Open correction is better than concealed love.
⁶ Wounds from someone who loves you can be trusted,
but the kisses of someone who hates you are too much.^[j]
7 A satisfied appetite refuses honey,
but to a hungry appetite, everything bitter tastes sweet.
⁸ A person who wanders from his place
    is like a bird that wanders from its nest.
⁹ Olive oil and incense bring joy to a heart,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his sincere advice.^[k]
10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you.
A neighbor who is near is better than a brother who is far away.
¹¹ Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so that I may answer anyone who taunts me.
¹² A sensible person sees trouble and hides,
but naïve people keep going and pay the penalty.
¹³ Take the garment of someone who guarantees a loan for a stranger.
Keep it when someone pledges it on behalf of an immoral woman.
¹⁴ When someone blesses his neighbor in a loud voice early in the morning,
    it will be regarded as a curse.
¹⁵ Constantly dripping water on a rainy day
and a nagging wife are alike.
¹⁶ Trying to hold her back is like holding back the wind,
like grasping oil with your right hand.^[l]
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and a man sharpens the insight of his friend.
¹⁸ A person who tends a fig tree eats its fruit,
and a person who takes care of his master will be honored.
¹⁹ As water reflects a person’s face,
so a person’s heart reflects the person.
²⁰ Death and Destruction^[m] are never satisfied,
and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
²¹ A crucible is for refining silver and a smelter is for gold,
and a person is tested by his praise.^[n]
22 Even if you grind a stubborn fool
    like grain with a mortar and pestle,
his stupidity will not leave him.

²³ Be certain that you know the condition of your flock very well.
Pay attention to your herds,
²⁴ because wealth is not forever,
nor does a crown pass from generation to generation.
²⁵ The hay is removed and new growth appears,
and grass from the mountains is gathered in.
²⁶ Lambs provide wool for your clothing,
and the price of the field can be earned from the goats.
²⁷ What’s more, there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for your household’s food,
and to maintain the life of your servant girls.

28 The wicked flee even though no one is pursuing them,
but the righteous are bold like a lion.
² A rebellious land has many rulers,
but one man with understanding and knowledge provides stability.
³ A poor man who oppresses the poor
    is a driving rain that leaves no food.
⁴ Those who abandon the law^[o] praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law oppose them.
⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.
⁶ Better a poor person who walks in his integrity
    than a rich person who is hypocritical.^[p]
7 The son who keeps the law has understanding,
but a companion of gluttons brings shame upon his father.
⁸ A person who increases his wealth by piling up interest
    gathers it for someone who is generous to the needy.
⁹ A person who turns his ear away from the law—
    even his prayer is an abomination.
¹⁰ A person who leads the upright along an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but people of integrity will inherit good.
¹¹ A wealthy person is wise in his own eyes,
but a needy person with understanding will expose him.
¹² When the righteous triumph, there is much celebration,^[q]
but when the wicked rise to power, people hide.
¹³ A person who conceals his sins will not prosper,
but one who confesses and abandons them will receive mercy.
¹⁴ Blessed is the person who always is afraid of sin,
but one who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
¹⁵ A wicked ruler over a poor people
    is a growling lion or a charging bear.
¹⁶ When a ruler lacks understanding, there will be much oppression,
but one who hates ill-gotten gain prolongs his days.
¹⁷ A person haunted by the guilt of bloodshed
    will be a fugitive until he goes down to the pit.
No one should offer him support.
¹⁸ A person who walks with integrity will be saved,
but a person whose ways are crooked will fall all at once.
¹⁹ A person who works his land will have plenty of food,
but whoever pursues fantasies will have plenty of poverty.
²⁰ A trustworthy person has many blessings,
but a person in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished.
²¹ Showing favoritism is not good,
but a man may sin for a piece of bread.
²² A tightfisted person is in a hurry to get rich,
but he does not know that poverty is coming his way.
²³ In the end a person who corrects someone will find more favor
    than a person with a flattering tongue.
²⁴ A person who robs his father and his mother
and says, “It’s not a sin,” is no better than^[r] a vandal.
²⁵ A greedy person stirs up strife,
but a person who trusts in the Lord will prosper.
²⁶ A person who trusts in his own ideas is a fool,
but a person who walks in wisdom will be kept safe.
²⁷ A person who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but a person who closes his eyes to them will receive many curses.
²⁸ When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding,
but when the wicked perish, the righteous increase.

29 A person who remains stiff-necked^[s] after many rebukes
    will be broken suddenly, and there will be no cure.
² When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
³ A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but one who visits prostitutes destroys his wealth.
⁴ A king brings stability to a land by justice,
but one who accepts bribes tears it down.
⁵ A man who flatters his neighbor
    is spreading a net for his steps.^[t]
6 An evil man sets a trap with his sin,
but a righteous person sings and rejoices.
⁷ A righteous person acknowledges the rights of the poor,
but a wicked person does not understand such knowledge.
⁸ Scoffers stir up a city,
but wise people turn away anger.
⁹ When a wise person seeks justice from a stubborn fool,
the fool rants and laughs, and there is no peace.
¹⁰ Bloodthirsty people hate anyone with integrity,
but upright people seek to save his life.^[u]
11 A fool vents all his emotions,
but a wise person calmly restrains them.
¹² If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.
¹³ A poor person and an oppressor have this in common:
The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
¹⁴ If a king judges poor people with truth,
his throne will be established permanently.
¹⁵ A rod used for discipline gives wisdom,
but an undisciplined child disgraces his mother.
¹⁶ When the wicked increase, sin increases,
but the righteous will see their downfall.
¹⁷ Discipline your son, and he will give you rest.
He will give delight to your soul.
¹⁸ Without prophetic vision, a people is unrestrained,
but a people which follows the law is blessed.
¹⁹ A servant cannot be disciplined with words.
Although he understands, he shows no response.
²⁰ Have you seen a person who is hasty with his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
²¹ If someone pampers his servant from the time he is young,
later on he will have grief.
²² A hothead stirs up a fight,
and a quick-tempered person commits many sins.
²³ A person’s arrogance will humble him,
but a humble spirit will attain honor.
²⁴ The partner of a thief hates his own life.
He hears the oath,^[v] but he does not reveal anything.
²⁵ Being afraid of a man sets a trap,
but a person who trusts in the Lord will be secure.
²⁶ Many people seek a ruler’s favor,
but a person gets justice from the Lord.
²⁷ An unjust person is disgusting to righteous people,
but one whose way is upright is disgusting to the wicked.