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Instructions and Warnings

27 (A)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you (B)do not know what a day may bring forth.
Let a (C)stranger praise you, and not your own mouth;
A foreigner, and not your own lips.
A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.
Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood,
But (D)who can stand before jealousy?
Better is reproof that is (E)revealed
Than love that is hidden.
Faithful are the (F)wounds of a friend,
But [a]deceitful are the (G)kisses of an enemy.
A satisfied soul tramples the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.
Like a (H)bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who (I)wanders from his place.
(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

  1. Proverbs 27:6 Or excessive
  2. Proverbs 27:9 Lit soul’s counsel
  3. Proverbs 27:13 Or an adulterous, cf. 2:16
  4. Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
  5. Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
  6. Proverbs 27:16 Lit encounters
  7. Proverbs 27:22 A lack of wisdom due to negligence or carelessness; the activity of an ignorant fool
  8. Proverbs 27:23 Lit face

All about Life

27 Do not brag about tomorrow,
    because you do not know what another day may bring.
Praise should come from another person and not from your own mouth,
    from a stranger and not from your own lips.
A stone is heavy, and sand weighs a lot,
    but annoyance caused by a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
Anger is cruel, and fury is overwhelming,
    but who can survive jealousy?

Open criticism is better than unexpressed love.
Wounds made by a friend are intended to help,
    but an enemy’s kisses are too much to bear.[a]
One who is full despises honey,
    but to one who is hungry,
        even bitter food tastes sweet.
Like a bird wandering from its nest,
    so is a husband wandering from his home.

Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
    but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.[b]
10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend.
    Do not go to a relative’s home when you are in trouble.
    A neighbor living nearby is better than a relative far away.

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad
    so that I can answer anyone who criticizes me.
12 Sensible people foresee trouble and hide.
    Gullible people go ahead and suffer.
13 Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
    and hold responsible the person
        who makes a loan in behalf of a foreigner.
14 Whoever blesses his friend early in the morning with a loud voice—
    his blessing is considered a curse.

15 Constantly dripping water on a rainy day is like a quarreling woman.
16 Whoever can control her can control the wind.
    He can even pick up olive oil with his right hand.[c]

17 As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens the wits of another.
18 Whoever takes care of a fig tree can eat its fruit,
    and whoever protects his master is honored.
19 As a face is reflected in water,
    so a person is reflected by his heart.
20 Hell and decay are never satisfied,
    and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.

21 The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
    but a person is tested by the praise given to him.
22 If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,[d]
    even then his stupidity will not leave him.
23 Be fully aware of the condition of your flock,
    and pay close attention to your herds.
24 Wealth is not forever.
    Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next.

25 When grass is cut short, the tender growth appears,
    and vegetables are gathered on the hills.
26 Lambs will provide you with clothing,
    and the money from the male goats will buy a field.
27 There will be enough goat milk to feed you,
    to feed your family,
        and to keep your servant girls alive.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:6 Hebrew meaning of “are too much to bear” uncertain.
  2. Proverbs 27:9 Or “is sincere advice.”
  3. Proverbs 27:16 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.
  4. Proverbs 27:22 Hebrew meaning uncertain.