Proverbs 27
27
1Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.
2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
4Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
but jealousy is even more dangerous.
5An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!
6Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.
7A person who is full refuses honey,
but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8A person who strays from home
is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10Never abandon a friend—
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
11Be wise, my child,#27:11 Hebrew my son. and make my heart glad.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
13Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.#27:13 As in Greek and Latin versions (see also 20:16); Hebrew reads for a promiscuous woman.
14A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning
will be taken as a curse!
15A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind
or trying to hold something with greased hands.
17As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.
18As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,
so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
19As a face is reflected in water,
so the heart reflects the real person.
20Just as Death and Destruction#27:20 Hebrew Sheol and Abaddon. are never satisfied,
so human desire is never satisfied.
21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.#27:21 Or by flattery.
22You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
23Know the state of your flocks,
and put your heart into caring for your herds,
24for riches don’t last forever,
and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
25After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
and your goats will provide the price of a field.
27And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
your family, and your servant girls.
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Proverbs 27: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Proverbs 27
27
1Don’t boast about tomorrow;
for you don’t know what a day may bring.
2Let another man praise you,
and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3A stone is heavy,
and sand is a burden;
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
4Wrath is cruel,
and anger is overwhelming;
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6The wounds of a friend are faithful,
although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7A full soul loathes a honeycomb;
but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.
8As a bird that wanders from her nest,
so is a man who wanders from his home.
9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart;
so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend.
10Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend.
Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster.
A neighbor who is near is better than a distant brother.
11Be wise, my son,
and bring joy to my heart,
then I can answer my tormentor.
12A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge;
but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
13Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger.
Hold it for a wayward woman!
14He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse by him.
15A continual dropping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike:
16restraining her is like restraining the wind,
or like grasping oil in his right hand.
17Iron sharpens iron;
so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
18Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit.
He who looks after his master shall be honored.
19Like water reflects a face,
so a man’s heart reflects the man.
20Sheol#27:20 Sheol is the place of the dead. and Abaddon are never satisfied;
and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.
21The crucible is for silver,
and the furnace for gold;
but man is refined by his praise.
22Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
23Know well the state of your flocks,
and pay attention to your herds,
24for riches are not forever,
nor does the crown endure to all generations.
25The hay is removed, and the new growth appears,
the grasses of the hills are gathered in.
26The lambs are for your clothing,
and the goats are the price of a field.
27There will be plenty of goats’ milk for your food,
for your family’s food,
and for the nourishment of your servant girls.
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