Open English Translation PROV Chapter 27

27 Don’t boast about what will happen tomorrow,

because you don’t know what the next day will bring.[ref]

2 Let some other person praise you, rather than your own mouth—

≈ someone from out of town and not your own lips.

3 Stones are heavy, and sand weighs you down,

→ but being provoked by a fool is heavier than either of them.

4 Anger is overwhelming and rage is cruel,

→ but who can tolerate jealousy?

5 Open rebuke is better than concealed love.

6 Wounds from a friend are faithful,

^ but kisses from an enemy are confusing.

7 Honey isn’t so attractive when you’re full,

^ but even bitter food is sweet when you’re hungry.

8 A person who wanders away from their home,

is like a bird that wanders from its nest.

9 Lotions and perfumes make a person cheery,

→ but it’s so pleasant to be given good advice by a friend.

10 Don’t abandon your friends or your father’s friends,

and don’t go to your brother’s house when calamity hits you.

A friend nearby is better than a brother living a long way away.

11 My child, make me happy by becoming wise,

and then I’ll be able to answer anyone who taunts me.

12 A sensible person sees evil and stays out of sight

but naive people continue on then get punished.

13 If someone guarantees a stranger’s loan, then definitely take their coat,

or if they stand as guarantee for a foreign woman.[ref]

14 If someone blesses their neighbour using a loud voice early in the morning,

→ it will be considered as a curse.

15 A contentious woman is like a continual dripping on a rainy day,

16 Restraining her is like stopping the wind,

or like catching something oily with one hand.

17 Iron sharpens iron,

≈ and one neighbour sharpens another.

18 The caretaker of a fig tree can eat its fruit,

≈ and someone protecting his master should be honoured.

19 As water reflects your face,

so too, a person’s behaviour reflects their values.

20 The grave and destruction are never satisfied,

≈ and people’s eyes are never satisfied.

21 There’s a smelting pot for silver, and a furnace for gold,

but a person is refined by the praise they receive.

22 Even if you could pound a fool like grain in a mortar,

→ their foolishness can’t be separated from them.

23 Make sure you know the state of your flock well.

≈ Set your mind on your cattle herds,

24 because wealth doesn’t last forever,

and a crown isn’t passed down to every generation.

25 The grass dries off and then fresh grass appears,

and then the herbs are gathered from the mountains.

26 The lambs will be for your clothing,

and the male goats will become the price for a field.

27 The female goats will give enough milk for your household,

and nourishment for your servant girls.

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