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¹ THESE are also profound proverbs of Solomon which the friends of Hezekiah king of Judah wrote.

² It is the glory of God to keep secret a matter; but the glory of the king is to search it out.³ The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of the king is unsearchable.

⁴ Purge dross from silver that it may come forth a pure vessel.⁵ Let wicked men be driven from the presence of the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

⁶ Do not glorify yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;⁷ For it is better that it be said to you, Come up higher, than that you should be put lower. In the presence of the ruler report what your eyes have seen.

⁸ Do not go forth hastily to bring a suit, lest when you plead your cause, at the end your neighbor shall reproach you.⁹ Debate your cause with your neighbor himself; and do not disclose the secret to another,¹⁰ Lest he who hears it reproach you and many people mock you.

¹¹ A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.¹² Like an earring of gold, and a precious sardius, so is the reproof of the wise men to a listening ear.

¹³ Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, which cools the air, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain, so is the man who boasts of false gifts.

¹⁵ By long forbearing, a ruler is persuaded; and a soft tongue breaks the bones.

¹⁶ When you find honey, eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you be filled with it and vomit it.

¹⁷ Do not visit your neighbors house too frequently, lest he become weary of you and so hate you.

¹⁸ A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like an iron bar, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

¹⁹ Like a sore tooth and a foot out of joint, such is the confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.

²⁰ As he who takes away a garment from his neighbor in cold weather, as one who drops sand on the string of a musical instrument, as he who afflicts a broken heart, as a moth on a garment, and as a boring-worm on a tree: such is the effect of sorrow on a mans heart.

²¹ If your enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;²² For when you shall do these things for him, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD will reward you.

²³ Like the north wind which brings forth rain, so are an evil countenance and a backbiting tongue.

²⁴ It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop than with a quarrelsome wife and a house divided against itself.

²⁵ Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

²⁶ Like a stopped fountain or a polluted spring is a righteous man when he falls down before the wicked.

²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey, nor to search for high praises for oneself.

²⁸ Like a breached city that has no wall, so is a man who is impatient.