These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver,
And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:
Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne shall be established in righteousness.
{Hebrew: Glorify not thyself.}Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king,
And stand not in the place of great men:
For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither,
Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom thine eyes have seen.
Go not forth hastily to strive,
{Or, Lest it be said in the end thereof, What will thou do? When &c.}Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,
When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself,
{Or, But}And disclose not the secret of another;
Lest he that heareth it revile thee,
And thine infamy turn not away.
A word {Or, in due season}fitly spoken
Is like apples of gold in network of silver.
As {Or, a nose-ring}an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold,
So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,
So is a faithful messenger to them that send him;
For he refresheth the soul of his masters.
As clouds and wind without rain,
So is he that boasteth himself {Hebrew: in a gift of falsehood.}of his gifts falsely.
By long forbearing is a {Or, judge}ruler persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee,
Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor's house,
Lest he be {Hebrew: full of thee.}weary of thee, and hate thee.
A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor
Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda,
So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.
If {Hebrew: he that hateth thee}thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head,
And Jehovah will reward thee.
The north wind bringeth forth rain:
So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,
Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.
As cold waters to a {Or, weary}thirsty soul,
So is good news from a far country.
As a {Hebrew: trampled.}troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring,
So is a righteous man that {Or, is moved }giveth way before the wicked.
It is not good to eat much honey:
{Or, But for men to search out their own glory is glory The Hebrew text is obscure.}So for men to search out their own glory is grievous.
{Or, He that hath no rule over his spirit}He whose spirit is without restraint
Is like a city that is broken down and without walls.
Querverweise zu Sprüche 25,18 Spr 25,18
There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword;But the tongue of the wise is health.
Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness,Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
His mouth was smooth as butter,But his heart was war:His words were softer than oil,Yet were they drawn swords.
My soul is among lions;I {Or, must lie}lie among them that are set on fire,Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,And their tongue a sharp sword.
What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee,Thou deceitful tongue?
{Or, It is as the sharp arrows of the mighty man}Sharp arrows of the mighty,With coals of {Or, broom}juniper.
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent;Adders' poison is under their lips.[Selah
And they bend their tongue, as it were their bow, for falsehood; and they are grown strong in the land, but not for {Or, faithfulness}truth: for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith Jehovah.
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth wait for him.
And the tongue is {Or, a fire, that world of iniquity: the tongue is among our members that which &c.}a fire: the {Or, that world of iniquity: the tongue, is among our members that which &c.}world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of {Or, birth}nature, and is set on fire by {Greek: Gehenna.}hell.