General Counsel
27 Never brag about the day to come,
because you don’t know what it[a] might bring.
2 Let someone else praise you,
not your own mouth;
a stranger, and never your own lips.
3 Rocks are heavy,
and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation outweighs them both.
4 Wrath can be fierce and anger overwhelms
but who can stand up to jealousy?
5 An open rebuke is better
than unspoken love.
6 Wounds from someone who loves are trustworthy,
but kisses from an enemy speak volumes.[b]
7 The person[c] who is full spurns honey,
but to a hungry person even the bitter seems sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who wanders away from his home.[d]
9 Ointments and perfume encourage the heart;
in a similar way, a friend’s advice is sweet to the soul.[e]
10 Never abandon your friend nor your father’s friend,
and don’t go to your brother’s house in times of trouble.
A neighbor who is near is better
than a brother who lives far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make me happy,
so I can reply to anyone who insults me.
12 Those who are prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the naïve continue on and suffer the consequences.
13 Take the coat of anyone who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he cosigns for an immoral woman.
14 A friend’s loud blessing early in the morning
will be thought of as a curse.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike.
16 Trying to keep her in check is like stopping a wind storm
or grabbing oil with your right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron;
so a man sharpens a friend’s character.[f]
18 Whoever nurtures the fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever obeys[g] his master will be honored.
19 Just as water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.
20 Sheol[h] and Abaddon[i] are never satiated,
and neither are human eyes.
21 As the crucible tests[j] silver,
and the furnace assays[k] gold;
so praise received tests[l] a man.
22 Though you crush a fool in a mortar and pestle
as someone might crush grain,
his stupidity still won’t leave him.
23 Keep well informed of the condition of your flocks
and pay attention to your herds,
24 because riches don’t endure forever,
and crowns don’t last from one generation to the next.
25 When the grass disappears,
and new growth appears,
the mountain spices will be harvested,
26 the lambs will supply your clothing,
and your goats the price of a field.
27 You will have enough goat’s milk to drink
and to supply your household needs,
as well as sustenance for your servant girls.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:1 Lit. what a day
- Proverbs 27:6 Lit. enemy are profuse
- Proverbs 27:7 Lit. soul
- Proverbs 27:8 Lit. place
- Proverbs 27:9 So MT; LXX reads heart; but through misfortune the soul is torn apart
- Proverbs 27:17 Lit. countenance
- Proverbs 27:18 Lit. guards
- Proverbs 27:20 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Proverbs 27:20 I.e. the realm of destruction in the afterlife
- Proverbs 27:21 The Heb. lacks tests
- Proverbs 27:21 The Heb. lacks assays
- Proverbs 27:21 The Heb. lacks tests