Proverbs 27–29

Chapter 27

Warnings and Instructions

^1aDo not boast about tomorrow,

For you ^bdo not know what a day may bring forth.

²Let ^aanother praise you, and not your own mouth;

A stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,

But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.

⁴Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,

But ^awho can stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is ^aopen rebuke

Than love that is concealed.

⁶Faithful are the ^awounds of a friend,

But ¹deceitful are the ^bkisses of an enemy.

⁷A sated ¹man ²loathes honey,

But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a ^abird that wanders from her nest,

So is a man who ^bwanders from his ¹home.

^9aOil and perfume make the heart glad,

So a ¹man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.

¹⁰Do not forsake your own ^afriend or ^byour father’s friend,

And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;

Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

^11aBe wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

That I may ^breply to him who reproaches me.

¹²A prudent man sees evil and hides himself,

The ¹naive proceed and pay the penalty.

^13aTake his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;

And for an ¹adulterous woman hold him in pledge.

^14aHe who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,

It will be reckoned a curse to him.

¹⁵A ^aconstant dripping on a day of steady rain

And a contentious woman are alike;

¹⁶He who would ¹restrain her restrains the wind,

And ²grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron,

So one man sharpens another.

¹⁸He who tends the ^afig tree will eat its fruit,

And he who ^bcares for his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water face reflects face,

So the heart of man reflects man.

^201aSheol and ²Abaddon are ^bnever satisfied,

Nor are the ^ceyes of man ever satisfied.

²¹The ^acrucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,

And each ^bis tested by the praise accorded him.

²²Though you ^apound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,

Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

^23aKnow well the ¹condition of your flocks,

And pay attention to your herds;

²⁴For riches are not forever,

Nor does a ^acrown endure to all generations.

²⁵When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,

And the herbs of the mountains are ^agathered in,

²⁶The lambs will be for your clothing,

And the goats will bring the price of a field,

²⁷And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food,

For the food of your household,

And sustenance for your maidens.

Chapter 28

Warnings and Instructions

¹The wicked ^aflee when no one is pursuing,

But the righteous are ¹bold as a lion.

²By the transgression of a land ^amany are its princes,

But ^bby a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.

³A ^apoor man who oppresses the lowly

Is like a driving rain ¹which leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law ^apraise the wicked,

But those who keep the law ^bstrive with them.

⁵Evil men ^ado not understand justice,

But those who seek the Lord ^bunderstand all things.

^6aBetter is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than he who is ¹crooked though he be rich.

⁷He who keeps the law is a discerning son,

But he who is a companion of ^agluttons humiliates his father.

⁸He who increases his wealth by ^ainterest and usury

Gathers it ^bfor him who is gracious to the poor.

⁹He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,

Even his ^aprayer is an abomination.

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray in an evil way

Will ^ahimself fall into his own pit,

But the ^bblameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man is ^awise in his own eyes,

But the poor who has understanding ¹sees through him.

¹²When the ^arighteous triumph, there is great glory,

But ^bwhen the wicked rise, men ¹hide themselves.

¹³He who ^aconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who ^bconfesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

¹⁴How blessed is the man who ^afears always,

But he who ^bhardens his heart will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a ^aroaring lion and a rushing bear

Is a ^bwicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A ^aleader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding,

But he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

¹⁷A man who is ^aladen with the guilt of human blood

Will ¹be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.

¹⁸He who walks blamelessly will be delivered,

But he who is ^1acrooked will fall all at once.

^19aHe who tills his land will ^bhave plenty of food,

But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.

²⁰A ^afaithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who ^bmakes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To ^1ashow partiality is not good,

^bBecause for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²A man with an ^aevil eye ^bhastens after wealth

And does not know that want will come upon him.

²³He who ^arebukes a man will afterward find more favor

Than he who ^bflatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who ^arobs his father or his mother

And says, “It is not a transgression,”

Is the ^bcompanion of a man who destroys.

²⁵An ¹arrogant man ^astirs up strife,

But he who ^btrusts in the Lord ^cwill ²prosper.

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

But he who walks wisely will be delivered.

²⁷He who ^agives to the poor will never want,

But he who ¹shuts his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase.

Chapter 29

Warnings and Instructions

¹A man who hardens his neck after ^amuch reproof

Will ^bsuddenly be broken ¹beyond remedy.

²When the ^arighteous ¹increase, the people rejoice,

But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

³A man who ^aloves wisdom makes his father glad,

But he who ^bkeeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.

⁴The ^aking gives stability to the land by justice,

But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

⁵A man who ^aflatters his neighbor

Is spreading a net for his steps.

⁶By transgression an evil man is ^aensnared,

But the righteous ^bsings and rejoices.

⁷The ^arighteous ¹is concerned for the rights of the poor,

The wicked does not understand such ²concern.

⁸Scorners ^aset a city aflame,

But ^bwise men turn away anger.

⁹When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man,

¹The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

¹⁰Men of ^abloodshed hate the blameless,

But the upright ¹are concerned for his life.

¹¹A ^afool ¹always loses his temper,

But a ^bwise man holds it back.

¹²If a ^aruler pays attention to falsehood,

All his ministers become wicked.

¹³The ^apoor man and the oppressor ¹have this in common:

The Lord gives ^blight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a ^aking judges the poor with truth,

His ^bthrone will be established forever.

¹⁵The ^arod and reproof give wisdom,

But a child ¹who gets his own way ^bbrings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked ¹increase, transgression increases;

But the ^arighteous will see their fall.

^17aCorrect your son, and he will give you comfort;

He will also ^1bdelight your soul.

¹⁸Where there is ^ano ¹vision, the people ^bare unrestrained,

But ^chappy is he who keeps the law.

¹⁹A slave will not be instructed by words alone;

For though he understands, there will be no response.

²⁰Do you see a man who is ^ahasty in his words?

There is ^bmore hope for a fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his slave from childhood

Will in the end find him to be a son.

²²An ^aangry man stirs up strife,

And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

²³A man’s ^apride will bring him low,

But a ^bhumble spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;

He ^ahears the oath but tells nothing.

²⁵The ^afear of man ¹brings a snare,

But he who ^btrusts in the Lord will be exalted.

^26aMany seek the ruler’s ¹favor,

But ^bjustice for man comes from the Lord.

²⁷An ^aunjust man is abominable to the righteous,

And he who is ^bupright in the way is abominable to the wicked.