Proverbs 25:8-18

8 Don't take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterwards if your opponent^[a] humiliates you?

9 Make your case with your opponent^[b] without revealing another's secret;

10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you, and you'll never live it down.^{[c] [d]}

11 A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.^{[e] [f]}

12 A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.^[g]

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.^[h]

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

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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or neighbor
• [b] Or neighbor
• [c] Lit and your evil report will not turn back
• [d] Pr 17:9; Mt 5:25
• [e] Or like apples of gold in settings of silver
• [f] Pr 8:10; 15:23; 16:16
• [g] Pr 13:17; 16:24; 25:25
• [h] Pr 15:1; 16:32; Ec 10:4
• [i] Pr 25:27