Proverbs 25:21-28
Proverbs 25:21-28 New International Version (NIV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look. Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:21-28 The Message (MSG)
If you see your enemy hungry, go buy him lunch; if he’s thirsty, bring him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness, and GOD will look after you. A north wind brings stormy weather, and a gossipy tongue stormy looks. Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse. Like a cool drink of water when you’re worn out and weary is a letter from a long-lost friend. A good person who gives in to a bad person is a muddied spring, a polluted well. It’s not smart to stuff yourself with sweets, nor is glory piled on glory good for you. A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.
Proverbs 25:21-28 King James Version (KJV)
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, And the LORD shall reward thee. The north wind driveth away rain: So doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a brawling woman and in a wide house. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. A righteous man falling down before the wicked Is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring. It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search their own glory is not glory. He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Proverbs 25:21-28 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance. It is better to live in a corner of the roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land. Like a trampled spring and a polluted well Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory. Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit.
Proverbs 25:21-28 New Century Version (NCV)
If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. As the north wind brings rain, telling gossip brings angry looks. It is better to live in a corner on the roof than inside the house with a quarreling wife. Good news from a faraway place is like a cool drink when you are tired. A good person who gives in to evil is like a muddy spring or a dirty well. It is not good to eat too much honey, nor does it bring you honor to brag about yourself. Those who do not control themselves are like a city whose walls are broken down.
Proverbs 25:21-28 American Standard Version (ASV)
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee. The north wind bringeth forth rain; So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey; So for men to search out their own glory is grievous. He whose spirit is without restraint Is like a city that is broken down and without walls.
Proverbs 25:21-28 New International Version (NIV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look. Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:21-28 New King James Version (NKJV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country. A righteous man who falters before the wicked Is like a murky spring and a polluted well. It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one’s own glory is not glory. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 25:21-28 Amplified Bible (AMP)
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; [Matt 5:44; Rom 12:20] For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, And the LORD will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain; And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance. It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather] Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman. [Prov 21:9] Like cold water to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a distant land. Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected] Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble]. [Prov 16:32]
Proverbs 25:21-28 New Living Translation (NLT)
If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you. As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger! It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home. Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring. It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself. A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.
Proverbs 25:21-28 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch. Win him over with your kindness. Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience and God will reward you with favor. As the north wind brings a storm, saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship. It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack than to share a castle with a crabby spouse! Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul, so hearing good news revives the spirit. When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness, it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage or polluting a fountain. It’s good to eat sweet things, but you can take too much. It’s good to be honored, but to seek words of praise is not honor at all. If you live without restraint and are unable to control your temper, you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses, open to attack.
Proverbs 25:21-28 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.