Proverbs 27
27
1Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring.
2Never praise yourself. Let others do it.
3A stone is heavy, and sand is hard to carry, but the irritation caused by a fool is much harder to bear.
4Anger is cruel and can destroy like a flood, but jealousy is much worse.
5Open criticism is better than hidden love.
6You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies want to hurt you, even when they act nice.
7When you are full, you will not even eat honey. When you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.
8A man away from home is like a bird away from its nest.
9Perfume and incense make you feel good, and so does good advice from a friend.
10Don’t forget your own friends or your father’s friends. If you have a problem, go to your neighbor for help. It is better to ask a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
11My son, be wise. This will make me happy. Then I will be able to answer those who criticize me.
12Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way, but fools go straight to the trouble and suffer for it.
13When you make a deal with a stranger, get something from him and any other foreigners with him to make sure he will pay you.
14Don’t wake up your neighbors early in the morning with a shout of “Good morning!” They will treat it like a curse, not a blessing.
15A complaining wife is like water that never stops dripping on a rainy day. 16Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold oil in your hand.
17As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp.
18People who take care of fig trees are allowed to eat the fruit. In the same way, people who take care of their masters will be rewarded.
19Just as you can see your own face reflected in water, so your heart reflects the kind of person you are.
20Just as the place of death and destruction is never full, people always want more and more.
21People use fire to purify gold and silver. In the same way, you are tested by the praise people give you.
22Even if you pound fools to powder like grain in a bowl, you will never force the foolishness out of them.
23Learn all you can about your sheep. Take care of your goats the best you can. 24Neither wealth nor nations last forever. 25Cut the hay, and new grass will grow. Then gather the new plants that grow on the hills. 26Cut the wool from your lambs, and make your clothes. Sell some of your goats, and buy some land. 27Then there will be plenty of goat’s milk for you and your family, with enough to keep the servants healthy.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 27: ERV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Proverbs 27
27
1 DO NOT boast of [yourself and] tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth. [Luke 12:19, 20; James 4:13.]
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 Stone is heavy and sand weighty, but a fool's [unreasoning] wrath is heavier and more intolerable than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood, but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden. [Prov. 28:23; Gal. 2:14.]
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.
7 He who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes and treads underfoot a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who strays from his home.
9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart.
10 Your own friend and your father's friend, forsake them not; neither go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near [in spirit] than a brother who is far off [in heart].
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me [as having failed in my parental duty]. [Prov. 10:1; 23:15, 24.]
12 A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].
13 [The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners. [Prov. 20:16.]
14 The flatterer who loudly praises and glorifies his neighbor, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted as cursing him [for he will be suspected of sinister purposes].
15 A continual dripping on a day of violent showers and a contentious woman are alike; [Prov. 19:13.]
16 Whoever attempts to restrain [a contentious woman] might as well try to stop the wind–his right hand encounters oil [and she slips through his fingers].
17 Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].
18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored. [I Cor. 9:7, 13.]
19 As in water face answers to and reflects face, so the heart of man to man.
20 Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied. [Prov. 30:16; Hab. 2:5.]
21 As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold [bring forth all the impurities of the metal], so let a man be in his trial of praise [ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts].
22 Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations?
25 When the hay is gone, the tender grass shows itself, and herbs of the mountain are gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats [will furnish you] the price of a field.
27 And there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation