מִשְׁלֵי 27

1 אַֽל־תִּ֭תְהַלֵּל בְּי֣וֹם מָחָ֑ר כִּ֤י לֹא־תֵ֝דַ֗ע מַה־יֵּ֥לֶד יֽוֹם׃

Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.

2 יְהַלֶּלְךָ֣ זָ֣ר וְלֹא־פִ֑יךָ נָ֝כְרִ֗י וְאַל־שְׂפָתֶֽיךָ׃

Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.

3 כֹּֽבֶד־אֶ֭בֶן וְנֵ֣טֶל הַח֑וֹל וְכַ֥עַס אֱ֝וִ֗יל כָּבֵ֥ד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶֽם׃

[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 אַכְזְרִיּ֣וּת חֵ֭מָה וְשֶׁ֣טֶף אָ֑ף וּמִ֥י יַ֝עֲמֹד לִפְנֵ֥י קִנְאָֽה׃

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 ט֭וֹבָה תּוֹכַ֣חַת מְגֻלָּ֑ה מֵֽאַהֲבָ֥ה מְסֻתָּֽרֶת׃

It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].

6 נֶ֭אֱמָנִים פִּצְעֵ֣י אוֹהֵ֑ב וְ֝נַעְתָּר֗וֹת נְשִׁיק֥וֹת שׂוֹנֵֽא׃

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 נֶ֣פֶשׁ שְׂ֭בֵעָה תָּב֣וּס נֹ֑פֶת וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ רְ֝עֵבָ֗ה כָּל־מַ֥ר מָתֽוֹק׃

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 כְּ֭צִפּוֹר נוֹדֶ֣דֶת מִן־קִנָּ֑הּ כֵּֽן־אִ֝֗ישׁ נוֹדֵ֥ד מִמְּקוֹמֽוֹ׃

Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.

9 שֶׁ֣מֶן וּ֭קְטֹרֶת יְשַׂמַּֽח־לֵ֑ב וּמֶ֥תֶק רֵ֝עֵ֗הוּ מֵֽעֲצַת־נָֽפֶשׁ׃

[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 רֵֽעֲךָ֨ ורעה אָבִ֡יךָ אַֽל־תַּעֲזֹ֗ב וּבֵ֥ית אָחִ֗יךָ אַל־תָּ֭בוֹא בְּי֣וֹם אֵידֶ֑ךָ ט֥וֹב שָׁכֵ֥ן קָ֝ר֗וֹב מֵאָ֥ח רָחֽוֹק׃

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 חֲכַ֣ם בְּ֭נִי וְשַׂמַּ֣ח לִבִּ֑י וְאָשִׁ֖יבָה חֹרְפִ֣י דָבָֽר׃

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 עָר֤וּם רָאָ֣ה רָעָ֣ה נִסְתָּ֑ר פְּ֝תָאיִ֗ם עָבְר֥וּ נֶעֱנָֽשׁוּ׃

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 קַח־בִּ֭גְדוֹ כִּי־עָ֣רַב זָ֑ר וּבְעַ֖ד נָכְרִיָּ֣ה חַבְלֵֽהוּ׃

[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 מְבָ֘רֵ֤ךְ רֵעֵ֨הוּ ׀ בְּק֣וֹל גָּ֭דוֹל בַּבֹּ֣קֶר הַשְׁכֵּ֑ים קְ֝לָלָ֗ה תֵּחָ֥שֶׁב לֽוֹ׃

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 דֶּ֣לֶף ט֭וֹרֵד בְּי֣וֹם סַגְרִ֑יר וְאֵ֥שֶׁת מדונים נִשְׁתָּוָֽה׃

[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.

16 צֹפְנֶ֥יהָ צָֽפַן־ר֑וּחַ וְשֶׁ֖מֶן יְמִינ֣וֹ יִקְרָֽא׃

[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 בַּרְזֶ֣ל בְּבַרְזֶ֣ל יָ֑חַד וְ֝אִ֗ישׁ יַ֣חַד פְּנֵֽי־רֵעֵֽהוּ׃

[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 נֹצֵ֣ר תְּ֭אֵנָה יֹאכַ֣ל פִּרְיָ֑הּ וְשֹׁמֵ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣יו יְכֻבָּֽד׃

Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].

19 כַּ֭מַּיִם הַפָּנִ֣ים לַפָּנִ֑ים כֵּ֤ן לֵֽב־הָ֝אָדָ֗ם לָאָדָֽם׃

[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.

20 שְׁא֣וֹל ואבדה לֹ֣א תִשְׂבַּ֑עְנָה וְעֵינֵ֥י הָ֝אָדָ֗ם לֹ֣א תִשְׂבַּֽעְנָה׃ (Sheol h7585)

[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 מַצְרֵ֣ף לַ֭כֶּסֶף וְכ֣וּר לַזָּהָ֑ב וְ֝אִ֗ישׁ לְפִ֣י מַהֲלָלֽוֹ׃

[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 אִ֥ם תִּכְתּֽוֹשׁ־אֶת־ הָאֱוִ֨יל ׀ בַּֽמַּכְתֵּ֡שׁ בְּת֣וֹךְ הָ֭רִיפוֹת בַּֽעֱלִ֑י לֹא־תָס֥וּר מֵ֝עָלָ֗יו אִוַּלְתּֽוֹ׃ פ

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 יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּ֭דַע פְּנֵ֣י צֹאנֶ֑ךָ שִׁ֥ית לִ֝בְּךָ֗ לַעֲדָרִֽים׃

Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,

24 כִּ֤י לֹ֣א לְעוֹלָ֣ם חֹ֑סֶן וְאִם־נֵ֝֗זֶר לְד֣וֹר דור׃

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 גָּלָ֣ה חָ֭צִיר וְנִרְאָה־דֶ֑שֶׁא וְ֝נֶאֶסְפ֗וּ עִשְּׂב֥וֹת הָרִֽים׃

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 כְּבָשִׂ֥ים לִלְבוּשֶׁ֑ךָ וּמְחִ֥יר שָׂ֝דֶ֗ה עַתּוּדִֽים׃

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 וְדֵ֤י ׀ חֲלֵ֬ב עִזִּ֗ים לְֽ֭לַחְמְךָ לְלֶ֣חֶם בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְנַעֲרוֹתֶֽיךָ׃

and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.