When you go to the king
1These proverbs come from Solomon. The scribes of King Hezekiah of Judah wrote them down.
2People honour God because
He hides things from them
and does things that they don't understand.
People honour kings because they
find out a lot of things
and show them to everyone.
3No one knows what a king is thinking,
like they don't know how high heaven is
or how deep the sea is.
4If a silversmith takes out
all the impure pieces from the silver,
he can make something beautiful from it.
5If you take away the bad and
sinful officials who work for the king,
the king will rule fairly and honestly.
6Don't try to show that
you are important
when you are with the king,
and don't stand or sit down
where the important people are sitting.
7Because it is better if someone tells you:
‘Come up here and sit near me,’
than if he tells you to go away
and give your place to someone
who is more important.
If you see a person
doing something wrong,
8don't be quick to tell it
to other people or in court.
What will you do when he proves
that you were wrong?
You will be ashamed.
Your neighbour and you
9If you argue with your neighbour,
don't tell everyone what he said
when you were talking with him.
10People who hear you will say
that you are telling stories
and they will never trust you again.
11If someone says the right thing
at the right time,
it is like golden apples on a silver plate.
12When a wise person warns you
to live in the right way, it is as valuable
as a ring or jewels of gold.
13A messenger that you can trust
is like cool snow in summer time
when it is hot.
14People who boast about gifts
that they do not give
are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
15If you are very patient,
you can make a ruler change his mind
and do something else.
If you talk in a friendly way,
you can make a stubborn
and hard-headed person listen to you.
16If you find honey,
don't eat too much because
you will feel sick and vomit.
17Don't visit your friend too often.
If you do, he will get tired of you
and you will not be welcome anymore.
18Someone who is a false_witness
against another person
is as dangerous as a sword
or a sharp arrow or stick.
19Don't trust an unfaithful person
when you are in trouble.
He is like a broken tooth or a crippled foot.
20Don't sing a song
to someone who is sad.
For him it will feel like taking away
his clothes on a cold day
or pouring vinegar onto his sores.
21If your enemy is hungry,
give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty,
give him water to drink,
22then you will make him
ashamed for hating you,
and the Lord will reward you.
23When the northern wind blows,
it is going to rain.
When someone gossips,
people are going to get angry.
24It is better to live on the roof
of a house than to live in a house
with a woman who keeps on arguing.
25If you get good news from a far land,
it is like cold water that you drink
when you are thirsty or tired.
26A man who has lived in the right way,
but has turned away from God
and started to sin,
is like a dirty fountain
or a water-well full of mud.
27It is bad for you to eat too much honey,
and it does not bring honour to you
if you boast about yourself.
28Someone who can not control himself
is like a city whose walls are broken down.
