Proverbs 25:4-22

⁴Do thou away rust from silver, and a full clean vessel shall go out.

⁵Do thou away unpiety from the cheer of the king (or Take thou away wicked persons from before the king), and his throne shall be made steadfast by rightfulness.

⁶Appear thou not glorious before the king, and stand thou not in the place of great men.

⁷For it is better, that it be said to thee, Ascend thou hither (or Come thou up here), than that thou be made low before the prince.

⁸Bring thou not forth soon those things in strife, which thine eyes saw; lest afterward thou mayest not amend, when thou hast made thy friend unhonest. (Bring thou not soon forth those things in strife, or an argument, which thine eyes saw; lest afterward thou cannot correct it, when thou hast dishonoured thy friend.)

⁹Treat thy cause with thy friend, and show thou not (a) private (matter) to a strange man;

¹⁰lest peradventure he have joy of thy fall (or lest perhaps he have joy over thy fall), when he hath heard (of it), and cease not to do shame to thee.

¹¹(As) A golden pommel in beds of silver is he, that speaketh a word in his time. (Like a golden apple in beds of silver, is a word spoken at its proper time.)

¹²(As) A golden earring, and a shining pearl is he, that reproveth a wise man, and an ear obeying. (Like a golden earring, and a shining pearl, is a wise person who rebuketh someone with an obedient ear.)

¹³As the cold of snow in the day of harvest, so a faithful messenger to him that sent him, maketh his soul to have rest. (Like the cold of snow on the day of harvest, is a faithful messenger to him who sent him, for he maketh his soul to have rest.)

¹⁴(As) A cloud and wind, and (then) rain not following, is a glorious man, and not ful filling promises. (Like a cloud and wind, but then rain not following, is a honourable person who fulfilleth not his promises.)

¹⁵A prince shall be made soft by patience; and a soft tongue shall break hardness.

¹⁶Thou hast found honey, eat thou (only) that that sufficeth to thee; lest peradventure thou be (over-)filled, and spew it out.

¹⁷Withdraw thy foot from the house of thy neighbour; lest sometime he be filled (of thee), that is, annoyed (by thee), and hate thee.

¹⁸(Like) A dart, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, (is) a man that speaketh false witnessing against his neighbour.

¹⁹(As) A rotten tooth, and a faint foot is he, that hopeth on an unfaithful man in the day of anguish, (Like a rotten tooth, and a faint foot, is he, who hopeth on, or trusteth in, an unfaithful person on his day of anguish.)

²⁰and loseth his mantle in the day of cold. Vinegar in a vessel of salt is he, that singeth songs to the worst heart. As a moth harmeth a cloth, and a worm harmeth a tree, so the sorrow of a man harmeth the heart. (Like him who taketh away a mantle on a cold day, and like vinegar in a vessel of salt, is he who singeth songs to an aggrieved heart. Like a moth harmeth a cloak, and a worm harmeth a tree, so a person’s sorrow harmeth his heart.)

²¹If thine enemy hungereth, feed thou him; if he thirsteth, give thou him water to drink;

²²for thou shalt gather together coals on his head; and the Lord shall yield to thee. (for thou shalt gather together coals upon his head; and the Lord shall reward thee.)