Proverbs 27
27
1Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what any day may bring forth.
2Let another praise you, not your own mouth;
a stranger, not your own lips.
3Stone is heavy, and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.#Sir 22:14–15.
4Anger is cruel, and wrath overwhelming,
but before jealousy who can stand?#Anger generally subsides with time but jealousy coolly calculates and plots revenge.
5#Verses 5 and 6 are concerned with true friendship. “Better than” sayings often declare one thing superior to another in view of some value, e.g., 15:17, vegetables are better than meat in view of a milieu of love. In v. 5, a rebuke is better than an act of affection in view of discipline that imparts wisdom. Better is an open rebuke
than a love that remains hidden.
6Trustworthy are the blows of a friend,
dangerous, the kisses of an enemy.#The present translation is conjectural. The meaning seems to be that a friend’s rebuke can be life-giving and an enemy’s kiss can be deadly (like the kiss of Judas in Mt 26:48).
7One who is full spurns honey;
but to the hungry, any bitter thing is sweet.
8Like a bird far from the nest
so is anyone far from home.#The bird symbolizes vulnerability as it flees before danger as in Is 10:14; 16:2; and Ps 11:1. For the importance of place in human life, see Jb 20:8–9. People are defined by their place, but, tragically, war, poverty, or illness can force them from it.
9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
but by grief the soul is torn asunder.
10Do not give up your own friend and your father’s friend;
do not resort to the house of your kindred when trouble strikes.
Better a neighbor near than kin far away.#The adage is about the difference between friends and kin in a crisis. Two admonitions are grounded in one maxim (colon C). The same Hebrew word means both “one who is near” and “friend.” The whole proverb urges the reader to cultivate old family friends and neighbors and not to rely exclusively on kin in times of trouble, for kin may not be there for us.
11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so that I can answer whoever taunts me.#A father’s command to a son to be wise, another way of saying that sons or daughters bring joy or shame to their parents.
12The astute see an evil and hide;
the naive continue on and pay the penalty.#Prv 22:3.
13Take the garment of the one who became surety for a stranger;#Prv 20:16.
if for a foreign woman, exact the pledge!#See note on 20:16.
14Those who greet their neighbor with a loud voice#One interpretation takes the proverb as humorous and the other takes it as serious: (1) an overly loud and ill-timed greeting (lit., “blessing”) invites the response of a curse rather than a “blessing” (greeting); (2) the loud voice suggests hypocrisy in the greeting. in the early morning,
a curse can be laid to their charge.
15For a persistent leak on a rainy day
the match is a quarrelsome wife;#Prv 21:9; 25:24.
16Whoever would hide her hides a stormwind
and cannot tell north from south.
17Iron is sharpened by iron;
one person sharpens another.#Iron sharpens the “face” (panim = surface, edge) of iron, and a human being sharpens the “face” (panim = face, words) of another. Human beings learn from each other and grow in wisdom by conversing.
18Those who tend a fig tree eat its fruit;
so those attentive to their master will be honored.
19As face mirrors face in water,
so the heart reflects the person.
20Sheol and Abaddon can never be satisfied;#Prv 30:16; Eccl 4:8.
so the eyes of mortals can never be satisfied.#Sheol, the underworld abode of the dead, is personified as a force that is never satisfied and always desires more. Cf. Is 5:14 and Hos 13:14. The saying is applicable to modern consumerism.
21The crucible for silver, the furnace for gold,
so you must assay the praise you receive.
22Though you pound fools with a pestle,
their folly never leaves them.
23#A little treatise on farming in the form of admonitions. It proposes the advantages of field and flock over other forms of wealth. Herds are the most productive wealth, for their value does not diminish; they are a source of money, clothing, and food. The thought is conservative and traditional but the development is vivid and concrete. Take good care of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
24For wealth does not last forever,
nor even a crown from age to age.
25When the grass comes up and the new growth appears,
and the mountain greens are gathered in,
26The lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats, the price of a field,
27And there will be ample goat’s milk for your food,
food for your house, sustenance for your maidens.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Proverbs 27
27
All about Life
1Do not brag about tomorrow,
because you do not know what another day may bring.
2Praise should come from another person
and not from your own mouth,
from a stranger and not from your own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and sand weighs a lot,
but annoyance caused by a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
4Anger is cruel, and fury is overwhelming,
but who can survive jealousy?
5Open criticism is better than unexpressed love.
6Wounds made by a friend are intended to help,
but an enemy’s kisses are too much to bear.
7One who is full despises honey,
but to one who is hungry,
even bitter food tastes sweet.
8Like a bird wandering from its nest,
so is a husband wandering from his home.
9Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.#27:9 Or “is sincere advice.”
10Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend.
Do not go to a relative’s home when you are in trouble.
A neighbor living nearby is better than a relative far away.
11Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad
so that I can answer anyone who criticizes me.
12Sensible people foresee trouble and hide.
Gullible people go ahead ⌞and⌟ suffer.
13Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
and hold responsible the person
who makes a loan in behalf of a foreigner.
14Whoever blesses his friend early in the morning with a loud voice—
his blessing is considered a curse.
15Constantly dripping water on a rainy day is like a quarreling woman.
16Whoever can control her can control the wind.
He can even pick up olive oil with his right hand.
17 ⌞As⌟ iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens the wits of another.
18Whoever takes care of a fig tree can eat its fruit,
and whoever protects his master is honored.
19As a face is reflected in water,
so a person is reflected by his heart.
20Hell and decay are never satisfied,
and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
21The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
but a person ⌞is tested⌟ by the praise given to him.
22If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
⌞even then⌟ his stupidity will not leave him.
23Be fully aware of the condition of your flock,
and pay close attention to your herds.
24Wealth is not forever.
Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next.
25 ⌞When⌟ grass is cut short, the tender growth appears,
and vegetables are gathered on the hills.
26Lambs ⌞will provide⌟ you with clothing,
and the money from the male goats will buy a field.
27There will be enough goat milk to feed you,
to feed your family,
and to keep your servant girls alive.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.