Proverbs 27
New American Standard Bible
Warnings and Instructions
27 (A)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you (B)do not know what a day may bring.
2 Let (C)another praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
But (D)who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is (E)open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
6 Faithful are the (F)wounds of a friend,
But [a]deceitful are the (G)kisses of an enemy.
7 A satisfied [b]person [c]despises honey,
But to a hungry [d]person any bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a (H)bird that wanders from its nest,
So is a person who (I)wanders from his [e]home.
9 (J)Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
And a [f]person’s advice is sweet to his friend.
10 Do not abandon your (K)friend or (L)your father’s friend,
And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster;
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
11 (M)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
So that I may (N)reply to one who taunts me.
12 A prudent person sees evil and hides himself;
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
13 (O)Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him.
14 (P)One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be considered 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 [g]restrain her [h]restrains the wind,
And [i]grasps oil with his right hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
So one person sharpens another.
18 One who tends the (R)fig tree will eat its fruit,
And one who (S)cares for his master will be honored.
19 As in water a face reflects the face,
So the heart of a person reflects the person.
20 [j](T)Sheol and [k]Abaddon are (U)never satisfied,
Nor are the (V)eyes of a person ever satisfied.
21 The (W)crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each (X)is tested by the praise accorded him.
22 Though you (Y)pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
His foolishness still will not leave him.
23 (Z)Know well the [l]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever,
Nor does a (AA)crown endure to all generations.
25 When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,
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 attendants.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:6 Or excessive
- Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul
- Proverbs 27:7 Lit tramples on
- Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul
- Proverbs 27:8 Lit place
- Proverbs 27:9 Lit soul’s
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
- Proverbs 27:16 Lit encounters
- Proverbs 27:20 I.e., The netherworld
- Proverbs 27:20 I.e., the place of destruction
- Proverbs 27:23 Lit face
Proverbs 27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
27 Don’t boast about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what a day might bring.(A)
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—
a stranger, and not your own lips.(B)
3 A stone is heavy and sand, a burden,
but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
4 Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?(C)
5 Better an open reprimand
than concealed love.(D)
7 A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb,(G)
but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.
8 A man wandering from his home
is like a bird wandering from its nest.(H)
9 Oil(I) and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.[a]
10 Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,(J)
and don’t go to your brother’s house
in your time of calamity;
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.(K)
12 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover;
the inexperienced keep going and are punished.(N)
13 Take his garment,[b]
for he has put up security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for foreigners.[c](O)
14 If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.
15 An endless dripping on a rainy day
and a nagging wife are alike.(P)
16 The one who controls her controls the wind
and grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.[d]
18 Whoever tends a fig tree(Q) will eat its fruit,(R)
and whoever looks after his master will be honored.
19 As water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.
22 Though you grind a fool
in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
you will not separate his foolishness from him.(W)
23 Know well the condition of your flock,(X)
and pay attention to your herds,
24 for wealth is not forever;(Y)
not even a crown lasts for all time.
25 When hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grain from the hills is gathered in,
26 lambs will provide your clothing,
and goats, the price of a field;
27 there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—
food for your household
and nourishment for your female servants.(Z)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:9 LXX reads heart, but the soul is torn up by affliction
- Proverbs 27:13 A debtor’s outer garment held as collateral; Dt 24:12-13,17; Jb 22:6; Am 2:8
- Proverbs 27:13 Lit a foreign woman
- Proverbs 27:17 Lit and a man sharpens his friend’s face
- Proverbs 27:21 Or gold, but a man [is tested] by his praise
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