Old/New Testament

² It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.
³ As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
⁴ Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵ take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
    or stand in the place of the great;
⁷ for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of the prince.

What your eyes have seen
⁸     do not hastily bring into court;
for^[a] what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not disclose another’s secret;
¹⁰ lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

¹¹ A word fitly spoken
    is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹² Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
    is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
¹³ Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
    is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
    he refreshes the spirit of his masters.
¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain
    is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

¹⁵ With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue will break a bone.
¹⁶ If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
    lest you be sated with it and vomit it.
¹⁷ Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
    lest he become weary of you and hate you.
¹⁸ A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
    is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
¹⁹ Trust in a faithless man in time of trouble
    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
²⁰ He who sings songs to a heavy heart
    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
    and like vinegar on a wound.^[b]
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²² for you will heap coals of fire on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you.
²³ The north wind brings forth rain;
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴ It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
²⁵ Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
    so is good news from a far country.
²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey,
    so be sparing of complimentary words.^[c]
28 A man without self-control
    is like a city broken into and left without walls.
26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.
² Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    a curse that is causeless does not alight.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.
⁶ He who sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷ Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is he who gives honor to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everybody
    is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.^[d]
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool that repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.
¹³ The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer discreetly.
¹⁷ He who meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws firebrands,
    arrows, and death,
¹⁹ is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”
²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goes out;
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
²¹ As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
²² The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
²³ Like the glaze^[e] covering an earthen vessel
    are smooth^[f] lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ He who hates, dissembles with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
²⁵ when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with guile,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ He who digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back upon him who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.