Proverbs 27
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day brings forth.
Don't boast about what you're going to do tomorrow, because you don't know what the day may bring.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, A stranger, and not your own lips.
Let others praise you, not you yourself; someone else, not you personally.
3 A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than them both.
Stone may be heavy, and sand may weigh a lot, but the annoyance caused by stupid people is the biggest burden of all.
4 Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who stands before jealousy?
Fury may be fierce and cruel, anger may be a destructive flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
5 Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
Open criticism is better than hidden love.
6 The wounds of a lover are faithful, And the kisses of an enemy [are] abundant.
A friend's honest comments may hurt you, but an enemy's kisses are over the top.
7 A satiated soul treads down a honeycomb, And every bitter thing [is] sweet [to] a hungry soul.
If you're full up, you can't face honey; but if you're starving, even bitter food tastes sweet.
8 As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
Having to leave home is like a bird having to leave its nest.
9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad, And the sweetness of one’s friend—from counsel of the soul.
Perfume and scented oils make you feel happy, but good advice from a friend is even better.
10 Do not forsake your own friend and the friend of your father, And do not enter the house of your brother in a day of your calamity, A near neighbor [is] better than a brother far off.
Don't give up on your friends or your family's friends. Don't go to a relative's house when you've got trouble. A friend nearby is more useful than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, And I return a word [to] my reproacher.
My son, make me happy by being wise, so I can respond to anyone who criticizes me.
12 The prudent has seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
If you're sensible you see danger coming and get out of the way; but stupid people just keep going and suffer the consequences.
13 Take his garment when a stranger has been guarantor, And pledge it for a strange woman.
If someone guarantees a stranger's debt with their cloak, be sure to take it! Make sure you have whatever is pledged to an immoral woman!
14 Whoever is greeting his friend with a loud voice, Rising early in the morning, It is reckoned a light thing to him.
If when you get up every morning you shout a loud hello to your neighbors, they will see that as a curse!
15 A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
An argumentative wife is as irritating as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16 Whoever is hiding her has hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calls out.
Trying to stop her is like trying to make the wind stop or trying to hold olive oil in your hand.
17 Iron is sharpened by iron, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
An iron blade is sharpened with an iron tool, and one person's mind is sharpened by another's.
18 The keeper of a fig tree eats its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honored.
Those who care for a fig tree eat its fruit, and those who care for their master are rewarded.
19 As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
Just as water reflects your face, your mind reflects who you really are.
In the same way that the grave and destruction are never satisfied, human desire is never satisfied. (Sheol h7585)
21 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
Just as a crucible tests silver, and a furnace tests gold, people are tested by the praise they receive.
22 If you beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things—with a pestle, His folly does not turn aside from off him.
Even if you ground stupid people in a mortar, crushing them like grain with the pestle, you can't get rid of stupidity from them.
23 Know the face of your flock well, Set your heart to the droves,
You should know the condition of your flocks really well and take good care of your herds,
24 For riches [are] not for all time, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
for wealth doesn't last forever—is a crown passed down through all generations?
25 The hay was revealed, and the tender grass seen, And the herbs of mountains gathered.
Once the hay is cut, and the new growth begins, and fodder from the mountains is gathered,
26 Lambs [are] for your clothing, And the price of the field [are] male goats,
and the lambs have provided you wool to make clothing, and the sale of goats have paid for a field,
27 And a sufficiency of goats’ milk [is] for your bread, For bread to your house, and life to your girls!
there'll be enough milk from your goats to feed you, your family, and your servant girls.
