25 These also are proverbs of Shlomo; the men of Hizkiyah king of Y’hudah copied them out:

² God gets glory from concealing things;
    kings get glory from investigating things.
³ Like the sky for height or the earth for depth
    is the heart of kings — unfathomable.
⁴ Remove the impurities from the silver,
    and the smith has material to make a vessel.
⁵ Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
    and his throne will rest firmly on righteousness.
⁶ Don’t put yourself forward in the king’s presence;
    don’t take a place among the great.
⁷ For it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than be degraded in the presence of a nobleman.

What your eyes have seen,
⁸     don’t rush to present in a dispute.
For what will you do later on,
    if your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹ Discuss your dispute with your neighbor,
    but don’t reveal another person’s secrets.
¹⁰ If you do, and he hears of it, he will disgrace you,
    and your bad reputation will stick.

¹¹ Like apples of gold in settings of silver
    is a word appropriately spoken.
¹² Like a gold earring, like a fine gold necklace
    is a wise reprover to a receptive ear.
¹³ Like the coldness of snow in the heat of the harvest
    is a faithful messenger to the one who sends him;
    he refreshes his master’s spirit.
¹⁴ Like clouds and wind that bring no rain
    is he who boasts of gifts he never gives.

¹⁵ With patience a ruler may be won over,
    and a gentle tongue can break bones.

¹⁶ If you find honey, eat only what you need;
    for if you eat too much of it, you may throw it up;
¹⁷ so don’t visit your neighbor too much,
    or he may get his fill of you and come to hate you.

¹⁸ Like a club, a sword or a sharp arrow
    is a person who gives false testimony against a neighbor.

¹⁹ Relying on an untrustworthy person in a time of trouble
    is like [relying on] a broken tooth or an unsteady leg.

²⁰ Like removing clothes on a chilly day or like vinegar on soda
    is someone who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹ If someone who hates you is hungry, give him food to eat;
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
²² For you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head,
    and Adonai will reward you.
²³ The north wind brings rain
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

²⁴ It is better to live on a corner of the roof
    than to share the house with a nagging wife.

²⁵ Like cold water to a person faint from thirst
    is good news from a distant land.

²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
    is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷ It isn’t good to eat too much honey
    or to seek honor after honor.

²⁸ Like a city breached, without walls,
    is a person who lacks self-control.

26 Like snow in summer or rain at harvest-time,
    so honor for a fool is out of place.

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a flying swallow,
    an undeserved curse will come home to roost.

³ A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Don’t answer a fool in terms of his folly,
    or you will be descending to his level;
⁵ but answer a fool as his folly deserves,
    so that he won’t think he is wise.
⁶ Telling a message to a fool and sending him out
    is like cutting off one’s feet and drinking violence.
⁷ The legs of the disabled hang limp and useless;
    likewise a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
⁸ Like one who ties his stone to the sling
    is he who gives honor to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorn branch in the hand of a drunk
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
¹⁰ A master can make anything,
    but hiring a fool is like hiring some passer-by.
¹¹ Just as a dog returns to his vomit,
    a fool repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see someone who thinks himself wise?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him!

¹³ The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the streets!
    A lion is roaming loose out there!”
¹⁴ The door turns on its hinges,
    and the lazy man on his bed.
¹⁵ The lazy person buries his hand in the dish
    but is too tired to return it to his mouth.
¹⁶ A lazy man is wiser in his own view
    than seven who can answer with sense.

¹⁷ Like someone who grabs a dog by the ears
    is a passer-by who mixes in a fight not his own.

¹⁸ Like a madman shooting deadly arrows and firebrands
¹⁹     is one who deceives another, then says, “It was just a joke.”

²⁰ If there’s no wood, the fire goes out;
    if nobody gossips, contention stops.
²¹ As coals are to embers and wood to fire
    is a quarrelsome person to kindling strife.

²² A slanderer’s words are tasty morsels;
    they slide right down into the belly.

²³ Like silver slag overlaid on a clay pot
    are lips that burn [with friendship] over a hating heart.
²⁴ He who hates may hide it with his speech;
    but inside, he harbors deceit.
²⁵ He may speak pleasantly, but don’t trust him;
    for seven abominations are in his heart.
²⁶ His hatred may be concealed by deceit,
    but his wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.

²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth causes ruin.