Proverbs 27
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth!
Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.
Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty; But a fool's wrath is heavier than both.
[It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?
It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
5 Better is open rebuke Than love kept concealed.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
7 He who is fed to the full loatheth the honeycomb; But to the hungry any bitter thing is sweet.
When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
8 As a bird that wandereth from its nest, So is a man who wandereth from his place.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 Oil and perfume gladden the heart; Sweet also is one's friend by hearty counsel.
[Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
10 Thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake not; And go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity. Better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off.
Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may give an answer to him that reproacheth me.
My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; The simple pass on, and are punished.
Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
13 Take his garment who is surety for another; Yea, take a pledge of him who is bound for a stranger.
[You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
14 He who blesseth his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early for it, It shall be accounted to him as a curse.
If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a quarrelsome wife are alike.
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 He who restraineth her restraineth the wind; And his right hand layeth hold of oil.
[Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So one man sharpeneth the face of another.
[We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
18 He that watcheth the fig-tree shall eat its fruit; So he that is careful for his master shall come to honor.
Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
19 As in water face answereth to face, So doth the heart of man to man.
[When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
[It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
21 The refining-pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; So let a man be to the mouth that giveth him praise.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
22 Though thou shouldst beat a fool in a mortar, Among bruised wheat, with a pestle, Yet will not his folly depart from him.
Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds!
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 For riches last not for ever; Not even a crown endureth from generation to generation.
because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
25 The hay disappeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbage of the mountains is gathered in.
After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
26 The lambs are thy clothing, And the goats the price of thy field.
you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
27 There is goat's milk enough for thy food, For the food of thy household, And for the sustenance of thy maidens.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
