Proverbs 25:14-24

14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.

15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.^[a]

16 If you find honey, eat only what you need; otherwise, you'll get sick from it and vomit.^[b]

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house; otherwise, he'll get sick of you and hate you.

18 A man giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 Trusting an unreliable person in a time of trouble is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.

20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day, or like [pouring] vinegar on soda.^[c]

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 coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.^[d]

23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 Better to live on the corner of a roof than in a house shared with a nagging wife.^[e]

Footnotes

• [a] Pr 15:1; 16:32; Ec 10:4
• [b] Pr 25:27
• [c] Lit natron, or sodium carbonate
• [d] Mt 5:44; Rm 12:20
• [e] Pr 15:17; 17:1; 21:9,19