Proverbs 25:9-20

⁹Carry on thy cause with thy neighbor; but lay not open the secret of another:

¹⁰Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thy infamy never be removed.

¹¹Like apples of gold among figures of silver is a word spoken in a proper manner.

¹²As an earring of gold, and a pendant of fine gold, so is a wise reprover toward an ear that listeneth.

¹³As the cooling of snow on a harvest-day, so is a faithful messenger to those that send him; for he refresheth the soul of his master.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain, so is a man that vaunteth falsely of a gift.

¹⁵By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh bones.

¹⁶Hast thou found honey: eat so much as is sufficient for thee: lest thou consume too much of it, and have to vomit it forth.

¹⁷Make thy foot scarce in the house of thy friend: lest he have too much of thee, and so hate thee.

¹⁸A battle-axe, and a sword, and a sharpened arrow is a man that testifieth as a false witness against his neighbor.

¹⁹Like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint, is confidence in a treacherous man in a time of distress.

²⁰As he that taketh off his garment on a cold day, as vinegar is upon natron: so is he that singeth songs before an unhappy heart.