Proverbs 25
The full text of Proverbs 25 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 These too are proverbs of Solomon,
copied by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
but the glory of kings to search it out.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a vessel comes forth for the smith;
5 remove the wicked from the king's presence,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
or take a place among the great,
7 for it is better to be told, 'Come up here,'
than to be put down before a noble.
What your eyes have seen
8 do not hasten to bring into a legal dispute,
for what will you do in the end
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Settle your dispute with your neighbor yourself
and do not betray another's confidence,
10 or whoever hears you will shame you,
and your ill repute will not depart.
11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 A wise reprover to a listening ear
is like a gold ring and an ornament of fine gold.
13 Like the cold of snow in harvest time
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the spirit of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a person who boasts of a gift never given.
15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
lest he have his fill of you and come to hate you.
18 A person who bears false witness against a neighbor
is like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting an unfaithful person in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a lame foot.
20 Taking off a garment on a cold day,
like vinegar poured on soda,
is one who sings songs to a troubled heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap burning coals upon his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue brings forth an angry face.
24 It is better to live on a corner of the roof
than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul,
so is good news from a distant land.
26 A righteous man who gives way before the wicked
is like a muddied spring and a polluted well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.
28 A man without self-control
is like a city broken down, without walls.
Translation notes (7)
- Proverbs 25:1a The verb he'etiqu, 'copied' or 'transcribed', occurs in this editorial sense only here in the Hebrew Bible. The superscription marks chapters 25–29 as a second Solomonic collection, compiled by royal scribes in Hezekiah's reign (late eighth century BC), some two centuries after Solomon.
- Proverbs 25:7a The Hebrew tov ki-ye'amer lekha, 'better that it be said to you', commends humility as prudence rather than piety. Jesus draws on this saying in the parable of the wedding feast (Luke 14:10), where the guest in the lowest place hears, 'Friend, move up higher.' The clause 'What your eyes have seen' begins the warning about hasty litigation completed in the next verse.
- Proverbs 25:8a The word riv (רִיב), 'legal dispute', denotes a formal case brought before elders at the city gate, where litigation was conducted publicly. Many interpreters attach the closing words of the previous verse, 'what your eyes have seen', to this warning, so that the counsel is against rushing to court on the strength of one's own eyewitness impressions.
- Proverbs 25:9a The verb galah, 'to uncover' or 'reveal', governs sod (סוֹד), a term that denotes both a confidential council and the secret entrusted within it; here it means another's private matter disclosed during litigation. The same rib, 'dispute', from the previous verse recurs, urging that contention be settled privately rather than aired before others.
- Proverbs 25:20a The Hebrew neter, 'soda', refers to natron, a naturally occurring alkaline mineral used in the ancient world for cleaning; vinegar poured on it produces a fizzing reaction, an image of jarring incongruity. The Septuagint reads differently here, likening the singer to vinegar on a wound, and lacks the clause about the garment.
- Proverbs 25:22a Paul quotes this saying in Romans 12:20 as grounds for renouncing vengeance. The image of gechalim ('burning coals') heaped on the head is debated: some see the pangs of shame that lead an enemy to repentance, others an allusion to an Egyptian penitential rite of carrying coals. The verb shalem, 'reward', is literally 'repay', echoing the language of recompense.
- Proverbs 25:27a The second line turns on kavod (כָּבוֹד), 'glory', a word whose root also means 'weight', so that seeking one's own glory is framed as a kind of gluttony matching the honey of the first line. The Hebrew is terse, literally 'and the searching out of their glory, glory', and the negative sense is supplied by carrying over the negation from the first line.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Proverbs, is free to read here on the web.
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