Proverbs 25:8-28 ▼

8 Do not go out hastily to plead your case; Lest, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you?

9 Plead your case with your neighbor, And do 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 word spoken in right circumstances.

12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful envoy to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.

15 When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

16 Have you found 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 sword and a sharp arrow Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

19 Like an aching tooth and a slipping foot Is trust in a treacherous 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 If 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 Yahweh will repay you.

23 The north wind brings forth rain, And a tongue of secrets, an indignant face.

24 It is better 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 good report from a distant land.

26 Like a muddied 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 search out one’s own glory.

28 Like a city that is broken into and without a wall Is a man without restraint over his spirit.