Proverbs 25:10-20

10 Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a ¹word spoken in right circumstances.

12 Like an ²earring of gold and an ³ornament of ⁴fine gold Is a wise reprover to a ⁵listening ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a ⁶faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Like ⁷clouds and ⁸wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.

15 By ⁹forbearance * a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

16 Have you ¹⁰found honey? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, Or he will become weary of you and hate you.

18 Like a club and a ¹¹sword and a sharp ¹²arrow Is a man who bears ¹³false witness against his neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a ¹⁴faithless man in time of trouble.

20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 15:23
• 2. Exodus 32:2; Exodus 35:22; Ezekiel 16:12
• 3. 2 Samuel 1:24
• 4. Job 28:17
• 5. Proverbs 15:31; Proverbs 20:12
• 6. Proverbs 13:17
• 7. Jude 12
• 8. Jeremiah 5:13; Micah 2:11
• 9. Genesis 32:4; 1 Samuel 25:24; Ecclesiastes 10:4
• 10. Judges 14:8; 1 Samuel 14:25
• 11. Psalms 57:4; Proverbs 12:18
• 12. Jeremiah 9:8
• 13. Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 24:28
• 14. Job 6:15; Isaiah 36:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "return"
• [b]. Lit "its"
• [c]. Or "a nose ring"
• [d]. Lit "day"
• [e]. Lit "in a gift of falsehood"
• [f]. Lit "length of anger"
• [g]. Lit "your sufficiency"
• [h]. Lit "surfeited with"
• [i]. Lit "a slipping foot"
• [j]. I.e. natron
• [k]. Lit "an evil"