< Proverbs 27 >
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day brings forth.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thy own mouth; a stranger, and not thy own lips.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, A stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath [is] heavier than both.
A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than them both.
4 Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?
Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who stands before jealousy?
5 Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.
Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
6 Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful.
The wounds of a lover are faithful, And the kisses of an enemy [are] abundant.
7 The full soul lotheth a honey-comb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
A satiated soul treads down a honeycomb, And every bitter thing [is] sweet [to] a hungry soul.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.
As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
Perfume and incense make the heart glad, And the sweetness of one’s friend—from counsel of the soul.
10 Thy 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 neighbor [that is] near, than a brother far off.
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.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, And I return a word [to] my reproacher.
12 A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
The prudent has seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Take his garment when a stranger has been guarantor, And pledge it 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.
Whoever is greeting his friend with a loud voice, Rising early in the morning, It is reckoned a light thing to him.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
16 Whoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand [which] bewrayeth [itself].
Whoever is hiding her has hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calls out.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Iron is sharpened by iron, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
18 He that keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit of it: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honored.
The keeper of a fig tree eats its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honored.
19 As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.
As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Sheol )
Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied. (Sheol )
21 [As] the fining-pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so [is] a man to his praise.
A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
22 Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, [yet] his foolishness will not depart from him.
If you beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things—with a pestle, His folly does not turn aside from off him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds.
Know the face of your flock well, Set your heart to the droves,
24 For riches [are] not for ever: and doth the crown [endure] to every generation?
For riches [are] not for all time, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
25 The plant appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
The hay was revealed, and the tender grass seen, And the herbs of mountains gathered.
26 The lambs [are] for thy clothing, and the goats [are] the price of the field.
Lambs [are] for your clothing, And the price of the field [are] male goats,
27 And [thou shalt have] goats milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and [for] maintenance for thy maidens.
And a sufficiency of goats’ milk [is] for your bread, For bread to your house, and life to your girls!