4. Remove the dross from the silver,and a vessel will come out for the refiner.
5. Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6. Don’t exalt yourself in the presence of the king,or stand in the place of important people,
7. because it is better that he say to you,"Come up here,"than to be demoted before a ruler.What your eyes see,
8. don’t be quick to quarrel over;what will you do in the future when your neighbor shames you?
9. Argue it out with your neighbor,and don’t give away someone’s secret.
10. Otherwise, the one who hears it will vilify you;the slander against you will never stop.
11. Words spoken at the right timeare like gold apples in a silver setting.
12. Wise correction to an ear that listensis like a gold earring or jewelry of fine gold.
13. Like the coolness of snow on a harvest dayare reliable messengers to those who send them;they restore the life of their master.
14. People who brag about a gift never givenare like clouds and wind that produce no rain.
15. A commander can be persuaded with patience,and a tender tongue can break a bone.
16. If you find honey, eat just the right amount;otherwise, you’ll get full and vomit it up.
17. Don’t spend too much time in your neighbor’s house.Otherwise, they’ll get fed up with you and hate you.
18. People who testify falsely against their neighborsare like a club, sword, and sharpened arrow.
19. Trusting a treacherous person at a difficult timeis like having a bad tooth or a wobbly foot.
20. Singing a song to a troubled heartis like taking off a garment on a cold dayor putting vinegar on a wound.