Proverbs 27
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.
Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.
2 Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.
Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth; one who is strange to you, and not your lips.
3 A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both.
A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.
4 Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who standeth before jealousy?
Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?
5 Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
Better is open protest than love kept secret.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a lover, And abundant the kisses of an enemy.
The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.
7 A satiated soul treadeth down a honeycomb, And [to] a hungry soul every bitter thing [is] sweet.
The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one's friend — from counsel of the soul.
Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.
10 Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better [is] a near neighbour than a brother afar off.
Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.
11 Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.
My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.
12 The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.
13 Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.
Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.
14 Whoso is saluting his friend with a loud voice, In the morning rising early, A light thing it is reckoned to him.
He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.
15 A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.
16 Whoso is hiding her hath hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calleth out.
He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.
17 Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.
18 The keeper of a fig-tree eateth its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honoured.
Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.
19 As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.
The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough. (Sheol h7585)
21 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.
22 If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things — with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.
Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.
23 Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,
Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;
24 For riches [are] not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.
25 Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.
The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.
26 Lambs [are] for thy clothing, And the price of the field [are] he-goats,
The lambs are for your clothing, and the he-goats make the value of a field:
27 And a sufficiency of goats' milk [is] for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!
There will be goats' milk enough for your food, and for the support of your servant-girls.
