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27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.(A)
Let another praise you and not your own mouth,
    a stranger and not your own lips.(B)
A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.(C)
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
    but who is able to stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.(D)
Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
    but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
The sated appetite spurns honey,
    but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet.(E)
Like a bird that strays from its nest
    is one who strays from home.
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)
When a land rebels
    it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent[f] person, honesty endures.(R)
A poor person who oppresses the poor
    is a beating rain that leaves no food.(S)
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
    but those who keep the law struggle against them.(T)
The evil do not understand justice,
    but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.(U)
Better to be poor and walk in integrity
    than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.(V)
Those who keep the law are wise children,
    but companions of gluttons shame their parents.(W)
One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
    gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.(X)
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.

Footnotes

  1. 27.9 Gk: Heb the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel
  2. 27.13 Vg and 20.16: Heb for a foreign woman
  3. 27.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 27.17 Heb face
  5. 27.21 Heb lacks is tested
  6. 28.2 Heb intelligent knowledgeable
  7. 28.18 Syr: Heb fall all at once

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

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
    an outsider, and not your own lips.(C)

Stone is heavy and sand(D) a burden,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?(E)

Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
    but an enemy multiplies kisses.(F)

One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

Like a bird that flees its nest(G)
    is anyone who flees from home.

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]

20 Death and Destruction[b] are never satisfied,(Q)
    and neither are human eyes.(R)

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.

28 The wicked flee(V) though no one pursues,(W)
    but the righteous are as bold as a lion.(X)

When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
    but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

A ruler[c] who oppresses the poor
    is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
    but those who heed it resist them.

Evildoers do not understand what is right,
    but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than the rich whose ways are perverse.(Y)

A discerning son heeds instruction,
    but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.(Z)

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)

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)

21 To show partiality(AP) is not good(AQ)
    yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.(AR)

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)

25 The greedy stir up conflict,(AW)
    but those who trust in the Lord(AX) will prosper.

26 Those who trust in themselves are fools,(AY)
    but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.(AZ)

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

  1. Proverbs 27:19 Or so others reflect your heart back to you
  2. Proverbs 27:20 Hebrew Abaddon
  3. Proverbs 28:3 Or A poor person
  4. Proverbs 28:18 Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew into one

27 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.

Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour 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 foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange 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 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.

17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.

20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.

22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, 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 to every generation?

25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.

26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

28 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.

Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.

He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

10 Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.

11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

12 When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

16 The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.

17 A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.

18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.

25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.

26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.