Proverbs 27
27
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,#Literally “on the day of tomorrow”
for you do not know what the day will bring.
2May another praise you and not your own mouth,
a stranger and not your own lips.
3Heavy is a stone and weighty is sand,
but the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4Cruel is wrath and overwhelming is anger,
but who will stand before jealousy?
5Better a rebuke that is open
than a love that is hidden.
6The wounds of a friend mean well,
but the kisses of an enemy are profane.
7An appetite#Literally “soul” that is sated spurns honey,
but to an appetite#Literally “soul” that is ravenous, all bitterness is sweet.
8Like a bird that strays from its nest,
so is a man who strays from his place.
9Perfume and incense will gladden a heart,
and the pleasantness of one’s friend is personal advice.#Literally “because of advice of a person”
10As for your friend and a friend of your father, do not forsake them,
and the house of your brother, do not enter on the day of your calamity.
Better is a close neighbor than a distant brother.
11Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
and I will answer him who reproaches me with a word.
12When the clever sees danger, he hides;
the simple go on and suffer.
13Take his garment, for he gives surety to a stranger,
and to an adulteress#Literally “a foreign woman”—so take his pledge.
14He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice
early in the morning,
a curse will be reckoned to him.
15Dripping constantly on a day of heavy rain
and a woman#Or “wife” of contention are alike.
16In restraining her, he restrains wind,#Or “breath, or “spirit”
and his right hand will grasp oil#Or “fat”.
17As iron sharpens#Or “is united with” iron,
so one man sharpens another.#Literally “a man sharpens the faces of his friend”
18He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master#Or “lord” will be honored.
19As the waters reflect face to face,#Literally “the faces to the faces”
so the heart of a person reflects the person.
20Sheol#A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld and Abaddon#Poetic synonym for “Sheol.” Only mentioned in the ot in relation to Sheol, the grave, or death. will not be satisfied,
and the eyes of a person will not be satisfied either.
21A crucible is for the silver, and a furnace for the gold,
but a man is tested by the mouth of him who praises him.
22If you crush a fool in the mortar with the pestle along with#Or “in the midst of” the crushed grain,
it will not drive folly from upon him.
23You will surely know the condition#Literally “faces” of your flock;
your heart#Or “mind” attends to the herds.
24For riches are not forever,
nor a crown for generation after generation.
25When the grass is gone, then green growth will appear,
and the herbs of the mountains will be gathered.
26Lambs will be your clothing,
and goats the price of the field.
27And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household and the nourishment#Literally “life” of your maidservants.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 27: LEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Proverbs 27
27
Heed Wisdom’s Warnings
1Never brag about the plans you have for tomorrow,
for you don’t have a clue what tomorrow may bring to you.
2Let someone else honor you for your accomplishments,
for self-praise is never appropriate.
3It’s easier to carry a heavy boulder and a ton of sand
than to be provoked by a fool and have to carry that burden!
4The rage and anger of others can be overwhelming,
but it’s nothing compared to jealousy’s fire.
5It’s better to be corrected openly
if it stems from hidden love.
6You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty, # 27:6 Or “Amen [effective and faithful] are the wounds of love.” This could be a reference to the wounds Jesus endured because of his love for us.
but your enemy’s pretended flattery # 27:6 Or “kisses.” comes from insincerity.
7When your soul is full, you turn down even the sweetest honey.
But when your soul is starving,
every bitter thing becomes sweet. # 27:7 When we are full of many things and many opinions, the sweet word of God, like revelation honey, is spurned. Instead, we eat and fill our souls with things that can never satisfy.
8Like a bird that has fallen from its nest
is the one who is dislodged from his home. # 27:8 Or “banished from his place,” as translated from the Aramaic.
9Sweet friendships # 27:9 Or “counsel.” refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy,
for good friends are like the anointing oil
that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence. # 27:9 The Hebrew text refers to the sacred anointing oil and the incense that burns in the Holy Place.
10So never give up on a friend or abandon a friend of your father—
for in the day of your brokenness # 27:10 As translated from the Aramaic.
you won’t have to run to a relative for help.
A friend nearby is better than a relative far away.
11My son, when you walk in wisdom,
my heart is filled with gladness,
for the way you live is proof
that I’ve not taught you in vain. # 27:11 Or “that I may answer those who reproach me.”
12A wise, shrewd person discerns the danger ahead
and prepares himself,
but the naïve simpleton never looks ahead
and suffers the consequences.
13Cosign for one you barely know and you will pay a great price!
Anyone stupid enough to guarantee the loan of another
deserves to have his property seized in payment.
14Do you think you’re blessing your neighbors
when you sing at the top of your lungs early in the morning?
Don’t be fooled—
they’ll curse you for doing it! # 27:14 Or “He who sings in a loud voice early in the morning, thinking he’s blessing his neighbor, is no different from he who pronounces a curse.”
15An endless drip, drip, drip, from a leaky faucet # 27:15 Or “a constant drip on a rainy day.”
and the words of a cranky, nagging wife have the same effect.
16Can you stop the north wind from blowing
or grasp a handful of oil?
That’s easier than to stop her from complaining.
17It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade,
and so one person sharpens the character of another.
18Tend an orchard and you’ll have fruit to eat.
Serve the Master’s interests
and you’ll receive honor that’s sweet.
19Just as no two faces are exactly alike,
so every heart is different. # 27:19 As translated from the Aramaic and the Septuagint.
20Death and destruction are never filled,
and the desires of men’s hearts are insatiable.
21Fire is the way to test the purity of silver and gold,
but the character of a man is tested
by giving him a measure of fame. # 27:21 Or “by the things he praises.”
22You can beat a fool half to death
and still never beat the foolishness out of him. # 27:22 Or “If you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle like dried grain, still his foolishness will not depart from him.”
23A shepherd should pay close attention to the faces of his flock
and hold close to his heart the condition of those he cares for.
24A man’s strength, power, and riches # 27:24 The Hebrew says merely “riches,” while the Aramaic adds “power [dominion]” and the Septuagint adds “strength.” This translation combines them. will one day fade away;
not even nations # 27:24 Or “a crown” or “diadem [dominion].” endure forever.
25-27Take care of your responsibilities
and be diligent in your business
and you will have more than enough—
an abundance of food, clothing, and plenty for your household. # 27:25–27 An agricultural analogy is used in the Hebrew and Aramaic. The analogy of a farming enterprise has been changed to business here in order to transfer meaning. It is literally “Gather the hay of the field and hills, and new grass will appear. Lambs will provide clothing, goats will pay for the price of the field, and there will be enough goat’s milk for you, your family, and your servant girls.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation