Online Bible

Analogies of Wisdom

These also are ^aproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

2 It is the glory of God to ^aconceal a matter,But the glory of ^bkings is to search out a matter.3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,So the heart of kings is unsearchable.4 Take away the ^adross from the silver,And there comes out a vessel for the ^bsmith;5 Take away the ^awicked before the king,And his ^bthrone will be established in righteousness.6 Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,And in the place of great men do not stand;7 For ^ait is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,Whom your eyes have seen.

8 Do not go out ^ahastily to plead your case;Lest, what will you do in ¹the end,When your neighbor humiliates you?9 ^aPlead your case with your neighbor,And ^bdo not reveal the secret of another,10 Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,And the bad report about you will not turn away.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silverIs a ^aword spoken in ¹right circumstances.12 Like ¹an ^aearring of gold and an ^bornament of ^cfine goldIs a wise reprover to a ^dlistening ear.13 Like the cold of snow in the ¹time of harvestIs a ^afaithful envoy to those who send him,For he refreshes the soul of his masters.14 Like ^aclouds and ^bwind without rainIs a man who boasts ¹of his gifts falsely.15 ^aWhen one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,And a soft tongue breaks the bone.16 Have you ^afound honey? Eat only enough for you,Lest you have more than your fill and vomit it.17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,Lest he have more than his fill of you and hate you.18 Like a club and a ^asword and a sharp ^barrowIs a man who bears ¹^cfalse witness against his neighbor.19 Like ¹an aching tooth and a slipping footIs trust in a ^atreacherous man in a day of distress.20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ¹soda,Is he who sings songs to ²an aching heart.21 ^aIf ¹your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;22 For you will ¹heap burning coals on his head,And ^aYahweh will repay you.23 The north wind brings forth rain,And a ^atongue of secrets, an indignant face.24 It is ^abetter to live in a corner of the roofThan ¹in a house shared with a contentious woman.25 Like cold water to a weary soul,So is a ^agood report from a distant land.26 Like a ^amuddied spring and a corrupted wellIs a righteous man shaking before the wicked.27 To eat too much honey is not good,Nor is it glory to ^asearch out ¹one’s own glory.28 Like a ^acity that is broken into and without a wallIs a man ^bwithout restraint over his spirit.

Similitudes, Instructions

These also are ^aproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

2 It is the glory of God to ^aconceal a matter,But the glory of ^bkings is to search out a matter.3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,So the heart of kings is unsearchable.4 Take away the ^adross from the silver,And there comes out a vessel for the ^bsmith;5 Take away the ^awicked before the king,And his ^bthrone will be established in righteousness.6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,And do not stand in the place of great men;7 For ^ait is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,Whom your eyes have seen.

8 Do not go out ^ahastily to ¹argue your case;²Otherwise, what will you do in ³the end,When your neighbor humiliates you?9 ¹^aArgue your case with your neighbor,And ^bdo not reveal the secret of another,10 Or he who hears it will reproach you,And the evil report about you will not ¹pass away.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silverIs a ^aword spoken in ¹right circumstances.12 Like ¹an ^aearring of gold and an ^bornament of ^cfine goldIs a wise reprover to a ^dlistening ear.13 Like the cold of snow in the ¹time of harvestIs a ^afaithful messenger to those who send him,For he refreshes the soul of his masters.14 Like ^aclouds and ^bwind without rainIs a man who boasts ¹of his gifts falsely.15 By ¹^aforbearance a ruler may be persuaded,And a soft tongue breaks the bone.16 Have you ^afound honey? Eat only ¹what you need,That you not have it in excess and vomit it.17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,Or he will become ¹weary of you and hate you.18 Like a club and a ^asword and a sharp ^barrowIs a man who bears ^cfalse witness against his neighbor.19 Like a bad tooth and ¹an unsteady footIs confidence in a ^afaithless man in time of trouble.20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ¹soda,Is he who sings songs to ²a troubled heart.21 ^aIf ¹your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;22 For you will ¹heap burning coals on his head,And ^athe LORD will reward you.23 The north wind brings forth rain,And a ¹^abackbiting tongue, an angry countenance.24 It is ^abetter to live in a corner of the roofThan ¹in a house shared with a contentious woman.25 Like cold water to a weary soul,So is ^agood news from a distant land.26 Like a ^atrampled spring and a ¹polluted wellIs a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.27 It is not good to eat much honey,Nor is it glory to ^asearch out ¹one’s own glory.28 Like a ^acity that is broken into and without wallsIs a man ^bwho has no control over his spirit.