ProverbsChapter 27

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¹Do not brag about tomorrow,
because you don't know what a day may bring. ²Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth.
Let a stranger do it, not your own lips. ³A stone is heavy, and sand is a load.
But the trouble a fool causes is heavier than both. ⁴Rage is cruel, and anger is like a flood.
But who can stand up against jealousy? ⁵An open warning is better
than love that is kept hidden. ⁶The wounds from a friend can be trusted.
But the kisses of an enemy are false. ⁷Someone who is full hates even honey.
But to someone who is hungry, anything bitter tastes sweet. ⁸A man who wanders from his home
is like a bird that wanders from its nest. ⁹Oil and incense make the heart glad.
A friend's advice is sweet to the soul. ¹⁰Do not leave your friend or your father's friend.
Do not go to your brother's house when disaster comes.
A neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away. ¹¹Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad.
Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me. ¹²Wise people see danger and hide.
But simple people keep going and pay for it. ¹³Take the coat of the one who promises to pay a stranger's debt.
Hold it as a pledge if he does it for a foreigner. ¹⁴If someone blesses his neighbor in a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse. ¹⁵A woman who loves to argue
is like a leak that keeps dripping on a rainy day. ¹⁶Trying to stop her is like holding back the wind.
It is like trying to grab oil with your right hand. ¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another. ¹⁸Whoever takes care of a fig tree will eat its fruit.
Whoever looks after his master will be honored. ¹⁹Water shows a reflection of a face.
In the same way, a man's heart shows who he really is. ²⁰The grave and the place of ruin are never full.
In the same way, a man's eyes are never satisfied.a ²¹A melting pot is for silver, and a furnace is for gold.
But a man is tested by the praise people give him. ²²You may grind a fool like grain with a bowl and a club.
But his foolishness will not leave him. ²³Be sure you know how your flocks are doing.
Pay close attention to your herds. ²⁴For riches don't last forever.
A crown does not last for every generation. ²⁵The hay is taken in, and new growth comes up.
The grass from the hills is gathered. ²⁶Then the lambs will give you clothing.
The goats will give you the price of a field. ²⁷You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed you.
There will be food for your family
and food for your servant girls.