Proverbs 27–29

27Do not boast about tomorrow,^a

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^b that is sated spurns honey,

but to an appetite^c 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.^d

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^e—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^f of contention are alike.

¹⁶In restraining her, he restrains wind,^g

and his right hand will grasp oil^h.

¹⁷As iron sharpensⁱ iron,

so one man sharpens another.^j

¹⁸He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who guards his master^k will be honored.

¹⁹As the waters reflect face to face,^l

so the heart of a person reflects the person.

²⁰Sheol^m and Abaddonⁿ 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^o the crushed grain,

it will not drive folly from upon him.

²³You will surely know the condition^p of your flock;

your heart^q 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^r of your maidservants.

28The wicked flee, but no one pursues,

but the righteous is bold like a lion.

²By the rebellion of a land, her rulers increase,

but by a person of intelligence who knows justice, it will last.

³A man who is poor and oppresses the impoverished

is a beating rain that leaves^a no food.

⁴Those who forsake instruction will praise the wicked,

but they who guard instruction will struggle against them.

⁵Men of evil do not understand justice,

but seekers of Yahweh understand completely.^b

⁶Better to be poor and walking in one’s integrity

than to be crooked of ways when one is rich.

⁷He who keeps instruction is a child of understanding,

but the companion of gluttons will shame his father.

⁸He who augments his wealth with interest and with usury

gathers it for him who is kind to the poor.

⁹He who turns his ear from listening to instruction,

even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰He who misleads the upright onto the way of evil,

into his pits he will fall.

But as for the blameless, they will inherit good.

¹¹A man of wealth is wise in his own eyes,

but the intelligent poor sees through him.

¹²When the righteous triumphs, great is the glory,

but with the rising of the wicked, a person will be hidden.

¹³He who conceals his transgression will not prosper,

but he who confesses and forsakes will obtain mercy.

¹⁴Happy is the person who fears continuously,

but he who is stubborn of heart,^c will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion and a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A ruler who lacks understanding is^d a cruel oppressor,

but those who hate unjust gain will have long^e days.

¹⁷A person who is burdened with the blood of another,^f

until death he will flee;

do not take hold of him.

¹⁸He who walks in integrity will be safe,

but he who takes crooked paths will fall in one.

¹⁹He who tills his ground will have plenty bread,

but he who follows fantasies will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A man of faithfulness has abundant blessings,

but he who hurries to become rich will not go unpunished.

²¹Showing partiality^g is not good,

and over a morsel of bread, a strong man will do wrong.

²²He who hurries for wealth is a man with an evil eye,^h

but he does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³He who rebukes a person will afterward find more favor

than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father and his mother and says, “There is no crime,”

is partner to a man who corrupts.

²⁵The greedy personⁱ will stir up strife,

but he who trusts in Yahweh will be enriched.

²⁶He who trusts in his own heart^j is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be saved.

²⁷For he who gives to the poor, there is no lacking,

but for he^k who turns his eyes, there are many curses.

²⁸With the rising of the wicked, humankind will be hidden,

and with their perishing, the righteous will multiply.

29A man who is reproved, being stubborn of neck—

suddenly he will be broken, and there will not be healing.

²When the righteous are numerous, the people will rejoice,

but when the wicked are ruling, people will groan.

³A man who loves wisdom will make his parents glad,

but the friend of prostitutes^a will squander his wealth.

⁴By justice a king gives stability to a land,

but a man of bribes will ruin it.

⁵A strong man who flatters his neighbor

is spreading a net for his feet.

⁶In transgression, an evil man is a snare,

but the righteous will sing and rejoice.^b

⁷The righteous knows the case of the poor,

but the wicked does not understand knowledge.

⁸Men of scoffing set a city aflame,

but the wise turn away wrath.

⁹If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man,

then there is rankling and ridicule,^c but there is no relief.

¹⁰Men of blood hate the blameless,

and they seek the life of the upright.^d

¹¹A fool gives all his breath,^e

but the wise holds back in quiet.

¹²A ruler listening to a word of falsehood,

all his officials are wicked.

¹³The poor and a man of oppression have this in common:

Yahweh gives light to the eyes of them both.^f

¹⁴A king who judges with truthfulness to the poor,

his throne will be established forever.

¹⁵As for a rod and reproof, they^g will give wisdom,

but a neglected child is disgraced by his mother.

¹⁶With the increase of the wicked, transgression will increase,

but the righteous will look on his downfall.

¹⁷Discipline your children, and they will give you rest,

and they will give delight to your soul.^h

¹⁸When there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,

but as for he who guards instruction, happiness is his.

¹⁹By words, a servant is not disciplined,

for he will understand, but there is no giving heed.

²⁰You see a man who is hasty in his words:

there is more hope for a fool than him.

²¹He who pampers his servant from childhood,

arrogance will be his end.ⁱ

²²A man of anger will stir strife,

and the owner of anger, much transgression.

²³The pride of a person will bring him humiliation,

and the lowly of spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴Being a partner with a thief is hating one’s life;^j

a curse he will hear, but not disclose.

²⁵The fear of a person will lay a snare,

but he who trusts in Yahweh will be secure.

²⁶Many are those who seek the favor^k of a ruler,

but from Yahweh one obtains justice.^l

²⁷A man of injustice is an abomination to the righteous,

but the upright^m is an abomination to the wicked.