Proverbs 27
27
You Don’t Know Tomorrow
1Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow;
you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.
2Don’t call attention to yourself;
let others do that for you.
3Carrying a log across your shoulders
while you’re hefting a boulder with your arms
Is nothing compared to the burden
of putting up with a fool.
4We’re blasted by anger and swamped by rage,
but who can survive jealousy?
5A spoken reprimand is better
than approval that’s never expressed.
6The wounds from a lover are worth it;
kisses from an enemy do you in.
7When you’ve stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;
when you’re starved, you could eat a horse.
8People who won’t settle down, wandering hither and yon,
are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.
9Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,
a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
10Don’t leave your friends or your parents’ friends
and run home to your family when things get rough;
Better a nearby friend
than a distant family.
11Become wise, dear child, and make me happy;
then nothing the world throws my way will upset me.
12A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.
13Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;
be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.
14If you wake your friend in the early morning
by shouting “Rise and shine!”
It will sound to him
more like a curse than a blessing.
15-16A nagging spouse is like
the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet;
You can’t turn it off,
and you can’t get away from it.
Your Face Mirrors Your Heart
17You use steel to sharpen steel,
and one friend sharpens another.
18If you care for your orchard, you’ll enjoy its fruit;
if you honor your boss, you’ll be honored.
19Just as water mirrors your face,
so your face mirrors your heart.
20Hell has a voracious appetite,
and lust just never quits.
21The purity of silver and gold is tested
by putting them in the fire;
The purity of human hearts is tested
by giving them a little fame.
22Pound on a fool all you like—
you can’t pound out foolishness.
23-27Know your sheep by name;
carefully attend to your flocks;
(Don’t take them for granted;
possessions don’t last forever, you know.)
And then, when the crops are in
and the harvest is stored in the barns,
You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool,
and sell your goats for a profit;
There will be plenty of milk and meat
to last your family through the winter.
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Proverbs 27: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Proverbs 27
27
Don't Brag about Tomorrow
1 #
Jas 4.13-16. Don't brag about tomorrow!
Each day brings
its own surprises.
2Don't brag about yourself—
let others praise you.
3Stones and sand are heavy,
but trouble caused by a fool
is a much heavier load.
4An angry person is dangerous,
but a jealous person
is even worse.
5A truly good friend
will openly correct you.
6You can trust a friend
who corrects you,
but kisses from an enemy
are nothing but lies.
7If you have had enough to eat,
honey doesn't taste good,
but if you are really hungry,
you will eat anything.
8When you are far from home,
you feel like a bird
without a nest.
9The sweet smell of incense
can make you feel good,
but true friendship
is better still.#27.9 still: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 9.
10Don't desert an old friend
of your family
or visit your relatives
when you are in trouble.
A friend nearby is better
than relatives far away.
11My child, show good sense!
Then I will be happy
and able to answer anyone
who criticizes me.
12Be cautious and hide
when you see danger—
don't be stupid and walk
right into trouble.
13You deserve to lose your coat
if you loan it to someone
to guarantee payment
for the debt of a stranger.
14A loud greeting
early in the morning
is the same as a curse.
15The steady dripping of rain
and the nagging of a wife
are one and the same.
16It's easier to catch the wind
or hold olive oil in your hand
than to stop a nagging wife.
17Just as iron sharpens iron,
friends sharpen the minds
of each other.
18Take care of a tree,
and you will eat its fruit;
look after your master,
and you will be praised.
19You see your face in a mirror
and your thoughts
in the minds of others.
20Death and the grave
are never satisfied,
and neither are humans.
21Gold and silver are tested
in a red-hot furnace,
but we are tested by praise.
22No matter how hard
you beat a fool,
you can't pound out
the foolishness.
23You should take good care
of your sheep and goats,
24because wealth and honor
don't last forever.
25After the hay is cut
and the new growth appears
and the harvest is over,
26you can sell lambs and goats
to buy clothes and land.
27From the milk of the goats,
you can make enough cheese
to feed your family
and all your servants.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.