Online Bible

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.

Similitudes, Instructions

These are also the ^aproverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied: 1+@Kin 4:32

2 It is the glory of God to ^aconceal a matter,But the glory of ^bkings is to search out a matter. Deut 29:29; Rom 11:333 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,So the hearts and minds of kings are ¹unsearchable.4 Take away the ^adross from the silver,And there comes out the pure metal for a vessel for the ^bsilversmith to shape. 2+@Tim 2:215 Take away the ^awicked from before the king,And his ^bthrone will be established in righteousness.6 Do not be boastfully ambitious and claim honor in the presence of the king,And do not stand in the place of great men;7 For it is ^abetter 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. Luke 14:8-10

8 Do not ^arush out to argue your case before magistrates or judges;Otherwise what will you do in the end when your case is lost andWhen your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you? Prov 17:14; Matt 5:259 ^aArgue your case with your neighbor himself before you go to court;And do not ^breveal another’s secret, Matt 18:1510 Or he who hears it will shame youAnd the rumor about you and your action in court will have no end.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silverIs a ^aword spoken at the right time. Prov 15:23; Is 50:412 Like an ^aearring of gold and an ^bornament of ^cfine goldIs a wise reprover to an ear that ^dlistens and learns.13 Like the cold of snow brought from the mountains in the time of harvest,So is a ^afaithful messenger to those who send him;For he refreshes the life of his masters.14 Like ^aclouds and ^bwind without rainIs a man who boasts falsely of gifts he does not give. Jude 1215 By ^apatience and a calm spirit a ruler may be persuaded,And a soft and gentle tongue breaks the bone of resistance. Gen 32:4; 1+@Sam 25:24; Prov 15:1; 16:1416 Have you ^afound pleasure sweet like honey? Eat only as much as you need,Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.17 Let your foot seldom be in your neighbor’s house,Or he will become tired of you and hate you.18 Like a club and a ^asword and a piercing ^barrowIs a man who testifies ^cfalsely against his neighbor (acquaintance) .19 Like a broken tooth or an unsteady footIs confidence in an ^aunfaithful man in time of trouble.20 Like one who takes off a garment in cold weather, or like a reactive, useless mixture of vinegar on soda,Is he who thoughtlessly sings joyful songs to a heavy heart. Dan 6:18; Rom 12:1521 ^aIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; Matt 5:44; Rom 12:2022 For in doing so, you will ¹heap coals of fire upon his head,And ^athe LORD will reward you.23 The north wind brings forth rain;And a ^abackbiting tongue, an angry countenance.24 It is ^abetter to live in a corner of the housetop on the flat roof, exposed to the weatherThan in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman. Prov 21:925 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,So is ^agood news from a distant land.26 Like a ^amuddied fountain and a polluted springIs a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.27 It is not good to eat much honey,Nor is it glorious to ^aseek one’s own glory.28 Like a ^acity that is broken down and without walls leaving it unprotectedIs a man ^bwho has no self-control over his spirit and sets himself up for trouble. Prov 16:32