Old/New Testament
Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah
25 These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied:[a]
and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter.
3 As the heaven is high[d] and the earth is deep
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.[e]
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and material[f] for the silversmith will emerge;
5 remove the wicked from before the king,[g]
and his throne[h] will be established in righteousness.[i]
6 Do not honor yourself before the king,
and do not stand in the place of great men;
7 for it is better for him[j] to say to you, “Come up here,”[k]
than to put you lower[l] before a prince,
whom your eyes have seen.[m]
8 Do not go out hastily to litigation,[n]
or[o] what will you do afterward
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 When you argue a case[p] with your neighbor,
do not reveal the secret of another person,[q]
10 lest the one who hears it put you to shame
and your infamy[r] will never go away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver,[s]
so is a word skillfully spoken.[t]
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold,[u]
so is a wise reprover to the ear of the one who listens.[v]
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest,[w]
so is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
for he refreshes the heart[x] of his masters.
14 Like cloudy skies and wind that produce no rain,[y]
so is the one who boasts[z] of a gift not given.[aa]
15 Through patience[ab] a ruler can be persuaded,[ac]
and a soft tongue[ad] can break a bone.[ae]
16 You have found[af] honey—eat only what is sufficient for you,
lest you become stuffed with[ag] it and vomit it up.[ah]
17 Don’t set foot too frequently[ai] in your neighbor’s house,
lest he become weary[aj] of you and hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow,[ak]
so is the one who testifies against[al] his neighbor as a false witness.[am]
19 Like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint,[an]
so is confidence[ao] in an unfaithful person at the time of trouble.[ap]
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,[aq]
or like vinegar poured on soda,[ar]
so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.[as]
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head,[at]
and the Lord will reward you.[au]
23 The north wind[av] brings forth rain,
and a gossiping tongue[aw] brings forth[ax] an angry look.[ay]
24 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop
than in a house in company with a quarrelsome wife.[az]
25 Like cold water to a weary person,[ba]
so is good news from a distant land.[bb]
26 Like a muddied[bc] spring and a polluted[bd] well,
so is a righteous person who gives way[be] before the wicked.
27 It is not good[bf] to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable for people to seek their own glory.[bg]
28 Like a city that is broken down and without a wall,
so is a person who cannot control his temper.[bh]
26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor[bi] is not fitting for a fool.[bj]
2 Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow,
so a curse without cause[bk] does not come to rest.[bl]
3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools![bm]
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,[bn]
lest you yourself also be like him.[bo]
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,[bp]
lest he be wise in his own opinion.[bq]
6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence,[br]
so is sending[bs] a message by the hand of a fool.[bt]
7 Like[bu] legs dangle uselessly[bv] from the lame,
so[bw] a proverb[bx] dangles[by] in the mouth of fools.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling,[bz]
so is giving honor to a fool.
9 Like[ca] a thorn[cb] has gone up into the hand of a drunkard,
so[cc] a proverb has gone up[cd] into the mouth of a fool.[ce]
10 Like[cf] an archer who wounds at random,[cg]
so[ch] is the one who hires[ci] a fool or hires any passerby.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit,[cj]
so a fool repeats his folly.[ck]
12 You have seen[cl] a man wise in his own opinion[cm]—
there is more hope for a fool[cn] than for him.
13 The sluggard[co] has said,[cp] “There is a lion in the road!
A lion in the streets!”[cq]
14 Like[cr] a door that turns on its hinges,[cs]
so[ct] a sluggard turns[cu] on his bed.
15 The sluggard has plunged[cv] his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy[cw] to bring it back to his mouth.[cx]
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own opinion[cy]
than seven people who respond with good sense.[cz]
17 Like[da] one who grabs a wild dog by the ears,[db]
so is the person passing by who becomes furious[dc] over a quarrel not his own.
18 Like a madman[dd] who shoots
firebrands and deadly arrows,[de]
19 so is a person[df] who has deceived his neighbor,
and said, “Was I not only joking?”[dg]
20 Where there is no wood, a fire goes out,
and where there is no gossip,[dh] contention ceases.[di]
21 Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
so is a contentious person[dj] to kindle strife.[dk]
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
and they have gone down into a person’s innermost being.[dl]
23 Like a coating of glaze[dm] over earthenware
are fervent[dn] lips with an evil heart.[do]
24 The one who hates others disguises[dp] it with his lips,
but he stores up[dq] deceit within him.[dr]
25 When[ds] he speaks graciously,[dt] do not believe him,[du]
for there are seven[dv] abominations[dw] within him.
26 Though his[dx] hatred may be concealed[dy] by deceit,
his evil will be uncovered[dz] in the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit[ea] will fall into it;
the one who rolls a stone—it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue[eb] hates those crushed by it,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.[ec]
Preparing the Gift
9 For it is not necessary[a] for me to write you about this service[b] to the saints, 2 because I know your eagerness to help.[c] I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours,[d] that Achaia has been ready to give[e] since last year, and your zeal to participate[f] has stirred up most of them.[g] 3 But I am sending[h] these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready[i] just as I kept telling them. 4 For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated[j] (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you.[k] 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution[l] you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift[m] and not as something you feel forced to do.[n] 6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously[o] will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give[p] just as he has decided in his heart,[q] not reluctantly[r] or under compulsion,[s] because God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow[t] to you so that because you have enough[u] of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow[v] in every good work. 9 Just as it is written, “He[w] has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.”[x] 10 Now God[y] who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your supply of seed and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion,[z] which is producing through us thanksgiving to God, 12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for[aa] the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God. 13 Through the evidence[ab] of this service[ac] they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing[ad] with them and with everyone. 14 And in their prayers on your behalf, they long for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown to you.[ae] 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift![af]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.