Proverbs 27
American Standard Version
27 Boast not thyself of tomorrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;
A stranger, and not thine own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty;
But a fool’s vexation is heavier than they both.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is [a]overwhelming;
But who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke
Than love that is hidden.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7 The full soul [b]loatheth a honeycomb;
But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest,
So is a man that wandereth from his place.
9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart;
So doth the sweetness of a man’s friend that cometh of hearty counsel.
10 Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not;
And go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity:
Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger;
And hold him in pledge that is surety for a foreign woman.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It shall be counted a curse to him.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike:
16 He that would [c]restrain her [d]restraineth the wind;
And [e]his right hand encountereth oil.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron;
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof;
And he that regardeth his master shall be honored.
19 [f]As in water face answereth to face,
So the heart of man to man.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied;
And the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
And a man is tried by [g]his praise.
22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
And look well to thy herds:
24 For riches are not for ever;
And doth the crown endure unto all generations?
25 The [h]hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
26 The lambs are for thy clothing,
And the goats are the price of the field;
27 And there will be goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household,
And maintenance for thy maidens.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:4 Hebrew a flood.
- Proverbs 27:7 Hebrew trampleth upon.
- Proverbs 27:16 Hebrew hide.
- Proverbs 27:16 Hebrew hideth.
- Proverbs 27:16 Or, the oil of his right hand betrayeth itself
- Proverbs 27:19 Or, As water showeth face to face, so the heart showeth man to man
- Proverbs 27:21 Or, that which he praiseth. Or, that whereof he boasteth
- Proverbs 27:25 Hebrew grass.
Proverbs 27
Lexham English Bible
27 Do not boast about tomorrow,[a]
for you do not know what the day will bring.
2 May another praise you and not your own mouth,
a stranger and not your own lips.
3 Heavy is a stone and weighty is sand,
but the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Cruel is wrath and overwhelming is anger,
but who will stand before jealousy?
5 Better a rebuke that is open
than a love that is hidden.
6 The wounds of a friend mean well,
but the kisses of an enemy are profane.
7 An appetite[b] that is sated spurns honey,
but to an appetite[c] that is ravenous, all bitterness is sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest,
so is a man who strays from his place.
9 Perfume and incense will gladden a heart,
and the pleasantness of one’s friend is personal advice.[d]
10 As for your friend and a friend of your father, do not forsake them,
and the house of your brother, do not enter on the day of your calamity.
Better is a close neighbor than a distant brother.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
and I will answer him who reproaches me with a word.
12 When the clever sees danger, he hides;
the simple go on and suffer.
13 Take his garment, for he gives surety to a stranger,
and to an adulteress[e]—so take his pledge.
14 He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice
early in the morning,
a curse will be reckoned to him.
15 Dripping constantly on a day of heavy rain
and a woman[f] of contention are alike.
16 In restraining her, he restrains wind,[g]
and his right hand will grasp oil[h].
17 As iron sharpens[i] iron,
so one man sharpens another.[j]
18 He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master[k] will be honored.
19 As the waters reflect face to face,[l]
so the heart of a person reflects the person.
20 Sheol[m] and Abaddon[n] will not be satisfied,
and the eyes of a person will not be satisfied either.
21 A crucible is for the silver, and a furnace for the gold,
but a man is tested by the mouth of him who praises him.
22 If you crush a fool in the mortar with the pestle along with[o] the crushed grain,
it will not drive folly from upon him.
23 You will surely know the condition[p] of your flock;
your heart[q] attends to the herds.
24 For riches are not forever,
nor a crown for generation after generation.
25 When the grass is gone, then green growth will appear,
and the herbs of the mountains will be gathered.
26 Lambs will be your clothing,
and goats the price of the field.
27 And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household and the nourishment[r] of your maidservants.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:1 Literally “on the day of tomorrow”
- Proverbs 27:7 Literally “soul”
- Proverbs 27:7 Literally “soul”
- Proverbs 27:9 Literally “because of advice of a person”
- Proverbs 27:13 Literally “a foreign woman”
- Proverbs 27:15 Or “wife”
- Proverbs 27:16 Or “breath, or “spirit”
- Proverbs 27:16 Or “fat”
- Proverbs 27:17 Or “is united with”
- Proverbs 27:17 Literally “a man sharpens the faces of his friend”
- Proverbs 27:18 Or “lord”
- Proverbs 27:19 Literally “the faces to the faces”
- Proverbs 27:20 A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld
- Proverbs 27:20 Poetic synonym for “Sheol.” Only mentioned in the ot in relation to Sheol, the grave, or death.
- Proverbs 27:22 Or “in the midst of”
- Proverbs 27:23 Literally “faces”
- Proverbs 27:23 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 27:27 Literally “life”
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