Proverbs 27
Legacy Standard Bible
Instructions and Warnings
27 (A)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you (B)do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let a (C)stranger praise you, and not your own mouth;
A foreigner, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood,
But (D)who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is reproof that is (E)revealed
Than love that is hidden.
6 Faithful are the (F)wounds of a friend,
But [a]deceitful are the (G)kisses of an enemy.
7 A satisfied soul tramples the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a (H)bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who (I)wanders from his place.
9 (J)Oil and incense make the heart glad,
So counsel from the [b]soul is sweet to his friend.
10 Do not forsake your (K)friend or (L)your father’s friend,
And do not come to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;
Better is one who dwells near than a brother far away.
11 (M)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may (N)respond with a word to him who reproaches me.
12 A prudent man sees evil and hides,
The simple pass on and are punished.
13 (O)Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for [c]a foreign woman seize it as a pledge.
14 (P)He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be counted as a curse to him.
15 A (Q)constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He who would [d]restrain her [e]restrains the wind,
And [f]grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
18 He who guards the (R)fig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who (S)keeps watch for his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
20 (T)Sheol and Abaddon are (U)never satisfied,
So the (V)eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The (W)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each (X)is tested by the mouth that praises him.
22 Though you (Y)pound an ignorant fool in a mortar with a pestle in the midst of crushed grain,
His [g]folly will not turn aside from him.
23 (Z)Know well the [h]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 For wealth is not forever,
Neither is a (AA)crown from generation to generation.
25 When the grass disappears and the vegetation appears,
And the herbs of the mountains are (AB)gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
27 And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your maidens.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:6 Or excessive
- Proverbs 27:9 Lit soul’s counsel
- Proverbs 27:13 Or an adulterous, cf. 2:16
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit encounters
- Proverbs 27:22 A lack of wisdom due to negligence or carelessness; the activity of an ignorant fool
- Proverbs 27:23 Lit face
Proverbs 27
Common English Bible
27 Don’t brag about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what a day will bring.
2 Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand weighs much,
but the nuisance of fools is heavier than both.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger is a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?
5 A public correction is better than hidden love.
6 Trustworthy are the bruises of a friend;
excessive are the kisses of an enemy.
7 Someone who is full refuses honey,
but anything bitter tastes sweet to a hungry person.
8 Like a bird wandering from its nest,
so is one who wanders from home.
9 Oil and incense make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of friends comes from their advice.[a]
10 Don’t desert your friend or a friend of your family;
don’t go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes.
Better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so I can answer those who insult me.
12 Prudent people see evil and hide;
the simpleminded go right to it and get punished.
13 Take the garment of the person who secures a loan for a stranger;
take his pledge for a foreigner.
14 Greeting a neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning
will be viewed as a curse.
15 The constant dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious woman are alike;
16 anyone who can control her
can control the wind
or pick up oil in his hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens a friend.
18 Those who tend a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and those who look after their master will be honored.
19 As water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects one person to another.
20 The grave[b] and the underworld[c] are never satisfied;
and people’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 A crucible is for silver and a furnace for gold;
so are people in the presence of someone who praises them.
22 Even if you grind fools in a mortar,
even grinding them along with the grain,
their folly won’t be driven from them.
23 Know your flock well;
pay attention to your herds,
24 for no treasure lasts forever,
nor a crown generation after generation.
25 When the grass goes away, new growth appears,
and the plants of the hills are gathered,
26 then the lambs will provide your clothes,
and the goats will be the price of your fields.
27 There will be enough goat’s milk for your food,
for the food of your house,
and to nourish your young women.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:9 Heb uncertain
- Proverbs 27:20 Heb Sheol
- Proverbs 27:20 Heb Abaddon
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