Proverbs 25:7-22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen(A)
8 do not hastily bring into court,
for[a] what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?(B)
9 Argue your case with your neighbor directly,
and do not disclose another’s secret,(C)
10 or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute will have no end.
11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.(D)
12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.(E)
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
are faithful messengers to those who send them;
they refresh the spirit of their masters.(F)
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of a gift never given.(G)
15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break bones.(H)
16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest, having too much, you vomit it up.(I)
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest the neighbor become weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow
is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.(J)
19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.
20 Like vinegar on a wound[b]
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.[c]
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat,
and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink,(K)
22 for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,
and the Lord will reward you.(L)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.