Proverbs 27
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the future day may bring.
2 Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth: an outsider, and not your own lips.
3 A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both.
A stone is weighty, and sand is burdensome; but the wrath of the foolish is heavier than both.
4 Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who standeth before jealousy?
Anger holds no mercy, nor does fury when it erupts. And who can bear the assault of one who has been provoked?
5 Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
An open rebuke is better than hidden love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a lover, And abundant the kisses of an enemy.
The wounds of a loved one are better than the deceitful kisses of a hateful one.
7 A satiated soul treadeth down a honeycomb, And [to] a hungry soul every bitter thing [is] sweet.
A sated soul will trample the honeycomb. And a hungry soul will accept even bitter in place of sweet.
8 As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
Just like a bird migrating from her nest, so also is a man who abandons his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one's friend — from counsel of the soul.
Ointment and various perfumes delight the heart. And the good advice 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 dismiss your friend or your father’s friend. And do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your affliction. A close neighbor is better than a distant brother.
11 Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.
My son, study wisdom, and rejoice my heart, so that you may be able to respond to the one who reproaches.
12 The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
The discerning man, seeing evil, hides himself. The little ones, continuing on, sustain losses.
13 Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.
Take away the garment of him who has vouched for an outsider. And take a pledge from him on behalf of foreigners.
14 Whoso is saluting his friend with a loud voice, In the morning rising early, A light thing it is reckoned to him.
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a grand voice, rising in the night, shall be like one who curses.
15 A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
A roof leaking on a cold day, and an argumentative woman, are comparable.
16 Whoso is hiding her hath hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calleth out.
He who would restrain her, he is like one who would grasp the wind, or who would gather together oil with his right hand.
17 Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
Iron sharpens iron, and a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
18 The keeper of a fig-tree eateth its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honoured.
Whoever maintains the fig tree shall eat its fruit. And whoever is the keeper of his master shall be glorified.
19 As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
In the manner of faces looking into shining water, so are the hearts of men made manifest to the prudent.
Hell and perdition are never filled; similarly the eyes of men are insatiable. (Sheol h7585)
21 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
In the manner of silver being tested in the refinery, and gold in the furnace, so also is a man tested by the mouth of one who praises. The heart of the iniquitous inquires after evils, but the heart of the righteous inquires after knowledge.
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 you were to crush the foolish with a mortar, as when a pestle strikes over pearled barley, his foolishness would not be taken from him.
23 Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,
Be diligent to know the countenance of your cattle, and consider your own flocks,
24 For riches [are] not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
for you will not always hold this power. But a crown shall be awarded from generation to generation.
25 Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.
The meadows are open, and the green plants have appeared, and the hay has been collected from the mountains.
26 Lambs [are] for thy clothing, And the price of the field [are] he-goats,
Lambs are for your clothing, and goats are for the price of a field.
27 And a sufficiency of goats' milk [is] for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!
Let the milk of goats be sufficient for your food, and for the necessities of your household, and for the provisions of your handmaids.
