1 Donot boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stoneisheavy and sandisweighty,
But a fool’s wrathisheavier than both of them.
4 Wrathiscruel and anger a torrent,
# Butwhoisable to stand before jealousy?
5 Open rebukeisbetter
Than love carefully concealed.
6 Faithfularethe wounds of a friend,
# But the kisses of an enemyaredeceitful.
7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thingissweet.
8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Isa man who wanders from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friendgivesdelightby hearty counsel.
10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
# Betterisa neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
# That I may answer him who reproaches me.
12 A prudentmanforesees evilandhides himself;
# The simple pass onandarepunished.
13 Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledgewhenhe is surety for a seductress.
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It will be counted a curse to him.
15 Acontinual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Asiron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.
19 As in water facereflectsface,
So a man’s heartrevealsthe man.
20 Hell and Destruction are never full;
# Sothe eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The refining potisfor silver and the furnace for gold,
And a manisvaluedby what others say of him.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yethis foolishness will not depart from him.
23 Be diligent to know the state of yourflocks,
Andattend to your herds;
24 For richesarenot forever,
Nor does a crownendureto all generations.
25 Whenthe hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26 The lambswillprovideyour clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;
27 Youshallhaveenough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.