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 the 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 silver
Is a aword spoken in right circumstances.
12 Like an aearring of gold and an bornament of cfine gold
Is a wise reprover to a dlistening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
Is a afaithful envoy to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like aclouds and bwind without rain
Is a man who boasts of 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 barrow
Is a man who bears cfalse witness against his neighbor.
19 Like an aching tooth and a slipping foot
Is 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 soda,
Is he who sings songs to an aching heart.
21 aIf your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will heap 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 roof
Than in 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 well
Is a righteous man shaking before the wicked.
27 To eat too much honey is not good,
Nor is it glory to asearch out one’s own glory.
28 Like a acity that is broken into and without a wall
Is a man bwithout restraint over his spirit.
Like snow in summer and like arain in harvest,
So glory is not bfitting for a fool.
2 Like a asparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in flying,
So a bcurse without cause does not come to pass.
3 A awhip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a brod for the back of fools.
4 aDo not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you yourself also be like him.
5 aAnswer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be bwise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence
Who sends words by the hand of a fool.
7 Like the legs which hang limp on the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is he who gives glory to a fool.
9 Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
11 Like aa dog that returns to its vomit
Is a fool who brepeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man awise in his own eyes?
bThere is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The asluggard says, “There is a fierce lion in the road!
A lion is among the streets!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the asluggard on his bed.
15 The asluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is too weary to return it to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is awiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.
17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about astrife not belonging to him.
18 Like a madman who shoots
aFirebrands, arrows, and death,
19 So is the man who adeceives his neighbor,
And says, “bAm I not joking?”
20 With no wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no awhisperer, bstrife quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a acontentious man to kindle strife.
22 The awords of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
23 Like an earthen avessel overlaid with silver bdross
Are fiery lips and an evil heart.
24 He who ahates disguises it with his lips,
But he sets up bdeceit within himself.
25 When he amakes his voice gracious, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred acovers itself with guile,
His evil will be brevealed in the assembly.
27 He who adigs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will turn back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
And a aflattering mouth works ruin.
Instructions and Warnings
aDo not boast about tomorrow,
For you bdo not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let a astranger praise you, and not your own mouth;
A foreigner, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood,
But awho can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is reproof that is arevealed
Than love that is hidden.
6 Faithful are the awounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the bkisses of an enemy.
7 A satisfied soul tramples the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a abird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who bwanders from his place.
9 aOil and incense make the heart glad,
So counsel from the soul is sweet to his friend.
10 Do not forsake your afriend or byour father’s friend,
And do not come to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;
Better is one who dwells near than a brother far away.
11 aBe wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may brespond with a word to him who reproaches me.
12 A prudent man sees evil and hides,
The simple pass on and are punished.
13 aTake his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for a foreign woman seize it as a pledge.
14 aHe who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be counted as a curse to him.
15 A aconstant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
18 He who guards the afig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who bkeeps watch for his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
20 aSheol and Abaddon are bnever satisfied,
So the ceyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The arefining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each bis tested by the mouth that praises him.
22 Though you apound an ignorant fool in a mortar with a pestle in the midst of crushed grain,
His folly will not turn aside from him.
23 aKnow well the condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 For wealth is not forever,
Neither is a acrown from generation to generation.
25 When the grass disappears and the vegetation appears,
And the herbs of the mountains are agathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
27 And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your maidens.
The wicked aflee when there is no one pursuing,
But the righteous are secure as a lion.
2 By the transgression of a land amany are its princes,
But bby a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.
3 A apoor man who oppresses the lowly
Is a driving rain which leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law apraise the wicked,
But those who keep the law bstrive with them.
5 Evil men ado not understand justice,
But those who seek Yahweh bunderstand all things.
6 aBetter is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.
7 He who observes the law is a son who understands,
But he who befriends agluttons humiliates his father.
8 He who increases his wealth by ainterest and usury
Gathers it bfor him who is gracious to the lowly.
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his aprayer is an abomination.
10 He who leads the upright astray in an evil way
Will ahimself fall into his own pit,
But the bblameless will inherit good.
11 The rich man is awise in his own eyes,
But the lowly who understands searches him.
12 When the arighteous exult, there is great honor,
But bwhen the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.
13 He who aconceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who bconfesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.
14 How blessed is the man who ais always in dread,
But he who bhardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a aroaring lion and a rushing bear
Is a bwicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A aleader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,
But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.
17 A man aoppressed with bthe bloodguilt of life
Will flee until death; let no one uphold him.
18 He who walks blamelessly will be saved,
But he who is acrooked—double dealing—will fall all at once.
19 aHe who cultivates his ground will be bsatisfied with food,
But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.
20 A afaithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who bmakes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To ashow partiality is not good,
bEven for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
22 A man with an aevil eye bhurries after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.
23 He who areproves a man will afterward find more favor
Than he who bflatters with the tongue.
24 He who arobs his father or his mother
And says, “It is not a transgression,”
Is the bcompanion of a man who destroys.
25 An arrogant man astirs up strife,
But he who btrusts in Yahweh cwill be enriched.
26 He who atrusts in his own heart is a fool,
But he who walks wisely will escape.
27 He who agives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.
A man who hardens his neck after amuch reproof
Will bsuddenly be broken beyond healing.
2 When the arighteous increase, the people are glad,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
3 A man who aloves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who bbefriends harlots destroys his wealth.
4 By justice the aking causes the land to stand,
But a man of bribes tears it down.
5 A man who aflatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.
6 By transgression an evil man is aensnared,
But the righteous bsings with joy and is glad.
7 The arighteous knows the cause of the poor,
The wicked does not understand that knowledge.
8 Scoffers aset a city aflame,
But bwise men turn away anger.
9 When a wise man is brought into judgment with a man who is an ignorant fool,
The ignorant fool both rages and laughs, and there is no rest.
10 Men of abloodshed hate the blameless,
But the upright seek the well‑being of his soul.
11 A afool lets out all of his spirit,
But a bwise man holds it back.
12 If a aruler pays attention to a lying word,
All his ministers become wicked.
13 The apoor man and the oppressor meet together in this—
Yahweh gives blight to the eyes of both.
14 If a aking judges the poor with truth,
His bthrone will be established forever.
15 The arod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child left to himself bbrings shame to his mother.
16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases;
But the arighteous will see their fall.
17 aDiscipline your son, and he will give you rest;
And he will bgive delight to your soul.
18 Where there is ano vision, the people bare out of control,
But how cblessed is he who keeps the law.
19 A slave will not be corrected by words alone;
For though he understands, there will be no answer.
20 Do you behold a man who is ahasty in his words?
There is bmore hope for a fool than for him.
21 He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be arrogant.
22 An aangry man stirs up strife,
And a hot‑tempered man abounds in transgression.
23 A man’s alofty pride will bring him low,
But a blowly spirit will take hold of glory.
24 He who divides the spoil with a thief hates his own soul;
He ahears the oath but declares nothing.
25 aTrembling before man brings a snare,
But he who btrusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.
26 aMany seek the face of a ruler,
But bjustice for man comes from Yahweh.
27 An aunjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is bupright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.