Proverbs 27
World English Bible
27 Don’t boast about tomorrow;
for you don’t know what a day may bring.
2 Let another man praise you,
and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy,
and sand is a burden;
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
4 Wrath is cruel,
and anger is overwhelming;
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6 The wounds of a friend are faithful,
although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7 A full soul loathes a honeycomb;
but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a bird that wanders from her nest,
so is a man who wanders from his home.
9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart;
so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend.
10 Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend.
Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster.
A neighbor who is near is better than a distant brother.
11 Be wise, my son,
and bring joy to my heart,
then I can answer my tormentor.
12 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge;
but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
13 Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger.
Hold it for a wayward woman!
14 He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse by him.
15 A continual dropping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike:
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind,
or like grasping oil in his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron;
so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit.
He who looks after his master shall be honored.
19 Like water reflects a face,
so a man’s heart reflects the man.
20 Sheol[a] and Abaddon are never satisfied;
and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 The crucible is for silver,
and the furnace for gold;
but man is refined by his praise.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
23 Know well the state of your flocks,
and pay attention to your herds:
24 for riches are not forever,
nor does the crown endure to all generations.
25 The hay is removed, and the new growth appears,
the grasses of the hills are gathered in.
26 The lambs are for your clothing,
and the goats are the price of a field.
27 There will be plenty of goats’ milk for your food,
for your family’s food,
and for the nourishment of your servant girls.
Footnotes
- 27:20 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Proverbs 27
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
27 Do not boast of [yourself and] tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth.(A)
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 Stone is heavy and sand weighty, but a fool’s [unreasoning] wrath is heavier and more intolerable than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood, but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden.(B)
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.
7 He who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes and treads underfoot a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who strays from his home.
9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.
10 Your own friend and your father’s friend, forsake them not; neither go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near [in spirit] than a brother who is far off [in heart].
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me [as having failed in my parental duty].(C)
12 A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].
13 [The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners.(D)
14 The flatterer who loudly praises and glorifies his neighbor, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted as cursing him [for he will be suspected of sinister purposes].
15 A continual dripping on a day of violent showers and a contentious woman are alike;(E)
16 Whoever attempts to restrain [a contentious woman] might as well try to stop the wind—his right hand encounters oil [and she slips through his fingers].
17 Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].
18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored.(F)
19 As in water face answers to and reflects face, so the heart of man to man.
20 Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied.(G)
21 As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold [bring forth all the impurities of the metal], so let a man be in his trial of praise [ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts].
22 Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations?
25 When the hay is gone, the tender grass shows itself, and herbs of the mountain are gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats [will furnish you] the price of a field.
27 And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.
by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
