1: Also these are Proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed: -- 2: The honour of God [is] to hide a thing, And the honour of kings to search out a matter. 3: The heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings -- [are] unsearchable. 4: Take away dross from silver, And a vessel for the refiner goeth forth, 5: Take away the wicked before a king, And established in righteousness is his throne. 6: Honour not thyself before a king, And in the place of the great stand not. 7: For better [that] he hath said to thee, 'Come thou up hither,' Than [that] he humble thee before a noble, Whom thine eyes have seen. 8: Go not forth to strive, haste, turn, What dost thou in its latter end, When thy neighbour causeth thee to blush? 9: Thy cause plead with thy neighbour, And the secret counsel of another reveal not, 10: Lest the hearer put thee to shame, And thine evil report turn not back. 11: Apples of gold in imagery of silver, [Is] the word spoken at its fit times. 12: A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, [Is] the wise reprover to an attentive ear. 13: As a vessel of snow in a day of harvest, [So is] a faithful ambassador to those sending him, And the soul of his masters he refresheth. 14: Clouds and wind, and rain there is none, [Is] a man boasting himself in a false gift. 15: By long-suffering is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh a bone. 16: Honey thou hast found -- eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated [with] it, and hast vomited it. 17: Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house, Lest he be satiated [with] thee, and have hated thee. 18: A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, [Is] the man testifying against his neighbour a false testimony. 19: A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, [Is] the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity. 20: Whoso is taking away a garment in a cold day, [Is as] vinegar on nitre, And a singer of songs on a sad heart. 21: If he who is hating thee doth hunger, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirst, cause him to drink water. 22: For coals thou art putting on his head, And Jehovah giveth recompense to thee. 23: A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue -- indignant faces. 24: Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than [with] a woman of contentions, and a house of company. 25: [As] cold waters for a weary soul, So [is] a good report from a far country. 26: A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked. 27: The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one's own honour -- honour. 28: A city broken down without walls, [Is] a man without restraint over his spirit!
