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當親近忠誠的朋友

27 不要為明日自誇,

因為今天要發生甚麼事,你尚且不知道。

讓外人誇獎你,不可自己誇獎自己;

讓別人稱讚你,不可自己稱讚自己。

石頭重,沙土也重,

愚妄人的怒氣比這兩樣更重。

烈怒雖然兇殘,暴怒又好像狂瀾,

人還可以忍受;

但面對嫉妒,誰能站立得住呢?

坦白的責備,

勝過暗中的愛。

愛你的人加的創傷是出於忠誠;

恨你的人卻與你連連親吻。

吃飽的人連蜂房的蜜也厭惡;

飢餓的人連一切苦的東西都覺得甘甜。

離家的人到處飄泊,

好像離巢的雀鳥到處遊飛一樣。

膏油和香料使人心暢快,

朋友真誠的勸勉也使人覺得甘甜。

10 你的朋友和你父親的朋友,你都不可離棄;

在你遭遇患難的日子,不可進你兄弟的家。

在附近的鄰舍勝過在遠方的兄弟。

11 我兒,你要作智慧人,使我的心快樂,

我也可以回答那羞辱我的。

12 精明人看見災禍,就躲藏起來;

愚蒙人反往前走,自取禍害。

13 誰為陌生人作保證人,就拿去誰的衣服;

誰替妓女作保證人,誰就要作擔保。

14 清晨起來大聲為鄰舍祝福的,

就等於是咒詛他。

15 下大雨的時候不斷滴漏;

就像吵鬧的婦人一樣;

16 誰要攔阻她,就像攔阻風,

也像右手抓油。

17 鐵磨鐵,磨得鋒利;

朋友互相切磋,才智(“才智”原文作“面”)也變得敏銳。

18 照料無花果樹的,必吃樹上的果子;

事奉主人的,必得尊榮。

19 水怎樣映照人面,

人的心思也怎樣反映其人。

20 陰間和滅亡不會滿足,

人的眼目也是一樣。

21 用鍋煉銀,用爐煉金;

人的稱讚也試煉人。

22 你雖然用杵把愚妄人與碎穀一同搗在臼中,

他的愚妄還是離不了他。

23 你要清楚知道你羊群的景況,

專心照料你的牛群。

24 因為財富不是永恆的,

冠冕也不能存到萬代。

25 乾草割去,嫩草又出現,

山上的野草也都收集起來。

26 羊羔的毛可以給你作衣服,

山羊可以作買田地的價銀。

27 山羊奶足夠作你的食物,

也足夠作你一家的食物,

並且足夠維持你眾婢女的生活。

My Son, Be Wise

27 Do(A) not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

(B)Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But (C)who is able to stand before jealousy?

(D)Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are (E)deceitful.

A satisfied soul [a]loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his place.

Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by [b]hearty counsel.

10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
(F)Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

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

12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are (H)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 (I)continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever [c]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 (J)Whoever [d]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 (K)Hell[e] and [f]Destruction are never full;
So (L)the eyes of man are never satisfied.

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

22 (N)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 (O)flocks,
And attend to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 (P)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.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:7 tramples on
  2. Proverbs 27:9 Lit. counsel of the soul
  3. Proverbs 27:16 Lit. hides
  4. Proverbs 27:18 protects or tends
  5. Proverbs 27:20 Or Sheol
  6. Proverbs 27:20 Heb. Abaddon