Proverbs
Chapter 27
1 Don’t brag about tomorrow; you don’t know what the day will bring.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth; an outsider, not your own lips.
3 A rock is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s anger is heavier than both.
4 Anger is harsh, and temper is wild, but who can face jealousy?
5 Public correction is better than hidden love.
6 A friend’s wounds can be trusted, but an enemy’s kisses are lies.
7 A satisfied person despises honey; but to a hungry person, even bitter food is sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest, so is a person who strays from their home.
9 Lotion and fragrance make the heart happy, just as a friend’s sincere advice is sweet.
10 Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and don’t go to your brother’s house when you’re in trouble; a close neighbor is better than a distant brother.
11 My son, be smart and make me happy, so I can reply to the one who criticizes me.
12 A wise person sees trouble ahead and hides; but the foolish keep going and suffer for it.
13 Take his coat if he promises to pay for someone he doesn’t know, and get something from him to guarantee payment for a woman he’s not familiar with.
14 If someone blesses their friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will seem like a curse.
15 Constant dripping on a rainy day and a nagging woman are the same.
16 Anyone who hides her is like trying to hide the wind, and their actions will reveal themselves, just like the scent of perfume on their hand.
17 Iron makes iron sharp; so a person makes their friend’s face bright.
18 Whoever takes care of the fig tree will eat its fruit; just as someone who serves their master well will be respected.
19 Just as water reflects a face back to a face, so one person’s heart reflects another person’s heart.
20 Hell and destruction are never full, just like a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 Just as a pot is for melting silver and a furnace is for purifying gold, so a person is tested by being praised.
22 Even if you grind a fool in a bowl with grain using a crushing tool, his foolishness will not leave him.
23 Work hard to understand the condition of your sheep, and pay close attention to your cattle.
24 Wealth does not last forever: and will a crown be passed down through every generation?
25 The hay shows up, the young grass appears, and mountain herbs are collected.
26 Use sheep for clothes, and goats to buy a field.
27 You will have enough goat’s milk for your food, your family’s food, and to support your servant girls.