Proverbs 25

• 1. These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.
• 2. It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them.
• 3. No one can discover the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king's mind!
• 4. Remove the dross from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
• 5. Remove the wicked from the king's court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.
• 6. Don't demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.
• 7. It is better to wait for an invitation than to be sent to the end of the line, publicly disgraced! Just because you see something,
• 8. don't be in a hurry to go to court. You might go down before your neighbors in shameful defeat.
• 9. So discuss the matter with them privately. Don't tell anyone else,
• 10. or others may accuse you of gossip. Then you will never regain your good reputation.
• 11. Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket.
• 12. Valid criticism is as treasured by the one who heeds it as jewelry made from finest gold.
• 13. Faithful messengers are as refreshing as snow in the heat of summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.
• 14. A person who doesn't give a promised gift is like clouds and wind that don't bring rain.
• 15. Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush strong opposition.
• 16. Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!
• 17. Don't visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome.
• 18. Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.
• 19. Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with a toothache or walking on a broken foot.
• 20. Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone's jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound.
• 21. If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
• 22. You will heap burning coals on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.
• 23. As surely as a wind from the north brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!
• 24. It is better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a contentious wife in a lovely home.
• 25. Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.
• 26. If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.
• 27. Just as it is not good to eat too much honey, it is not good for people to think about all the honors they deserve.
• 28. A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.

Proverbs 26

• 1. Honor doesn't go with fools any more than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
• 2. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an unfair curse will not land on its intended victim.
• 3. Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!
• 4. When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.
• 5. When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
• 6. Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one's feet or drinking poison!
• 7. In the mouth of a fool, a proverb becomes as limp as a paralyzed leg.
• 8. Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
• 9. A proverb in a fool's mouth is as dangerous as a thornbush brandished by a drunkard.
• 10. An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots recklessly.
• 11. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
• 12. There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
• 13. The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, "I can't go outside because there might be a lion on the road! Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!"
• 14. As a door turns back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
• 15. Some people are so lazy that they won't lift a finger to feed themselves.
• 16. Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
• 17. Yanking a dog's ears is as foolish as interfering in someone else's argument.
• 18. Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon
• 19. is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."
• 20. Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
• 21. A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
• 22. What dainty morsels rumors are--but they sink deep into one's heart.
• 23. Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot.
• 24. People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe them.
• 25. Though they pretend to be kind, their hearts are full of all kinds of evil.
• 26. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see.
• 27. If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will roll back and crush you.
• 28. A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattery causes ruin.

Proverbs 27

• 1. Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring.
• 2. Don't praise yourself; let others do it!
• 3. A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both.
• 4. Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy?
• 5. An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
• 6. Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
• 7. Honey seems tasteless to a person who is full, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
• 8. A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
• 9. The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
• 10. Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you won't have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away.
• 11. My child, how happy I will be if you turn out to be wise! Then I will be able to answer my critics.
• 12. A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
• 13. Be sure to get collateral from anyone who guarantees the debt of a stranger. Get a deposit if someone guarantees the debt of an adulterous woman.
• 14. If you shout a pleasant greeting to your neighbor too early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse!
• 15. A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day.
• 16. Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands.
• 17. As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
• 18. Workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer's interests will be rewarded.
• 19. As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.
• 20. Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
• 21. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
• 22. You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
• 23. Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
• 24. for riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation.
• 25. After the hay is harvested, the new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
• 26. your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will be sold for the price of a field.
• 27. And you will have enough goats' milk for you, your family, and your servants.

New Living Translation: 227 of 324 days.