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Proverbs 27-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 27-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may 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 is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.(C)
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.(D)
6 Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
7 The sated appetite spurns honey,
but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet.(E)
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is one who strays from home.
9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the soul is torn by trouble.[a]
10 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.(F)
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.(G)
12 The clever see danger and hide,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.(H)
13 Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger;
seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.[b](I)
14 Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike;(J)
16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in the right hand.[c]
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and one person sharpens the wits[d] of another.
18 Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.(K)
19 Just as water reflects the face,
so one human heart reflects another.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and human eyes are never satisfied.(L)
21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
so a person is tested[e] by being praised.(M)
22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
but the folly will not be driven out.(N)
23 Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
24 for riches do not last forever,
nor a crown for all generations.(O)
25 When the grass is gone, and new growth appears,
and the herbage of the mountains is gathered,(P)
26 the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field;
27 there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and nourishment for your female servants.
28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.(Q)
2 When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent[f] person, honesty endures.(R)
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.(S)
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.(T)
5 The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.(U)
6 Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.(V)
7 Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.(W)
8 One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.(X)
9 When one will not listen to the law,
even one’s prayers are an abomination.(Y)
10 Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.(Z)
11 The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.(AA)
12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.(AB)
13 No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.(AC)
14 Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.(AD)
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.(AE)
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.
17 If someone is burdened with the blood of another,
let that killer be a fugitive until death;
let no one offer assistance.(AF)
18 One who walks in integrity will be safe,
but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.[g](AG)
19 Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.(AH)
20 The faithful will abound with blessings,
but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.(AI)
21 To show partiality is not good,
yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.
22 The miser is in a hurry to get rich
and does not know that loss is sure to come.
23 Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.(AJ)
24 Anyone who robs father or mother
and says, “That is no crime,”
is partner to a thug.(AK)
25 The greedy person stirs up strife,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be enriched.(AL)
26 Those who trust in their own wits are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.(AM)
28 When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Proverbs 27-28
New International Version
Proverbs 27-28
New International Version
2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.(C)
3 Stone is heavy and sand(D) a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?(E)
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.(F)
7 One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
8 Like a bird that flees its nest(G)
is anyone who flees from home.
9 Perfume(H) and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice.
10 Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster(I) strikes you—
better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;(J)
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.(K)
12 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.(L)
13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.(M)
14 If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.
15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping(N)
of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
18 The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,(O)
and whoever protects their master will be honored.(P)
19 As water reflects the face,
so one’s life reflects the heart.[a]
21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,(S)
but people are tested by their praise.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding them like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove their folly from them.
23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,(T)
give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,(U)
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants.
2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.
3 A ruler[c] who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
4 Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
but those who heed it resist them.
5 Evildoers do not understand what is right,
but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.
6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than the rich whose ways are perverse.(Y)
7 A discerning son heeds instruction,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.(Z)
8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest(AA) or profit from the poor
amasses it for another,(AB) who will be kind to the poor.(AC)
9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
even their prayers are detestable.(AD)
10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into their own trap,(AE)
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
11 The rich are wise in their own eyes;
one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;(AF)
but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.(AG)
13 Whoever conceals their sins(AH) does not prosper,
but the one who confesses(AI) and renounces them finds mercy.(AJ)
14 Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
16 A tyrannical ruler practices extortion,
but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.
17 Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder
will seek refuge(AK) in the grave;
let no one hold them back.
18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe,(AL)
but the one whose ways are perverse will fall(AM) into the pit.[d]
19 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.(AN)
20 A faithful person will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.(AO)
22 The stingy are eager to get rich
and are unaware that poverty awaits them.(AS)
23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor
rather than one who has a flattering tongue.(AT)
24 Whoever robs their father or mother(AU)
and says, “It’s not wrong,”
is partner to one who destroys.(AV)
27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,(BA)
but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.(BB)
28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;(BC)
but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:19 Or so others reflect your heart back to you
- Proverbs 27:20 Hebrew Abaddon
- Proverbs 28:3 Or A poor person
- Proverbs 28:18 Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew into one
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.