Proverbs 27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the coming day will bring.

2 Let your neighbor praise you, not your own mouth; a stranger, not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy and sand is hard to carry, but a fool’s anger is heavier than both.

4 Wrath is merciless and anger is sharp, but jealousy withstands no one.

5 Open corrections are better than hidden friendship.

6 A friend’s wounds are more trustworthy than an enemy’s willing kisses.

7 A full soul mocks honeycombs, but to a needy soul even bitter things seem sweet.

8 Like a bird flying down from its own nest is a person who becomes enslaved when estranged from his own home.

9 The heart delights in ointments, wines, and incense, but the soul is broken by disasters.

10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and when trouble comes, do not enter your brother’s house. A nearby friend is better than a brother who lives far away.

11 My son, become wise so that my heart may rejoice, and turn reproachful words away from yourself.

12 A shrewd person hides when evils approach, but fools pass on and will pay the penalty.

13 Take away his garment, for he has passed by; whoever destroys what belongs to others is arrogant.

14 Whoever blesses a friend loudly in the morning will seem no different from someone who curses him.

15 Drops of rain drive a person from his house on a stormy day, and an abusive wife drives a person from his own house in the same way.

16 The north wind is harsh, but by name it is called favorable.

17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens his companion’s face.

18 Whoever plants a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever guards his own master will be honored.

19 Just as faces are not alike, neither are human hearts.

20 Hades and Destruction are never filled, and human eyes are just as insatiable. Whoever fixes his gaze is a detestable thing to the Lord, and the uninstructed have no control over their tongue.

21 Fire tests silver and gold, and a person is tested through the mouths of those who praise him. A lawless heart seeks evils, but an upright heart seeks knowledge.

22 Even if you flog a fool and disgrace him in the middle of the council, you will never remove his foolishness.

23 Know the condition of your flock clearly, and apply your heart to your herds,

24 for strength and power do not remain with a person forever, nor are they passed from generation to generation.

25 Take care of the green growth in the plain; cut the grass and gather mountain hay,

26 so that you may have sheep for clothing. Honor the field so that you may have lambs.

27 My son, from me you have strong sayings for your life and for the lives of your servants.