Proverbs 27:11-27

New King James Version

¹¹ My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
^(A)That I may answer him who reproaches me.

¹² A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are ^(B)punished.

¹³ Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

¹⁴ He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It will be counted a curse to him.

¹⁵ A ^(C)continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
¹⁶ Whoever ^[a]restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

^18 (D)Whoever ^[b]keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

¹⁹ As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

^20 (E)Hell^[c] and ^[d]Destruction are never full;
So ^(F)the eyes of man are never satisfied.

^21 (G)The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.

^22 (H)Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

²³ Be diligent to know the state of your ^(I)flocks,
And attend to your herds;
²⁴ For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
^25 (J)When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
²⁶ The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;
²⁷ You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.