Proverbs Chapter 27

¹ Don’t brag about tomorrow;

you don’t know what’s going to happen.

                  ²Let somebody else praise you, not your own mouth;

            a stranger, not your own lips.

³ A rock is heavy and sand weighs a lot,

but a fool’s resentment outweighs either one.

                  ⁴Anger and wrath are bad enough,

            but jealousy is even worse.

⁵ Open rebuke is better than secret love.

                  ⁶A friend’s wounds may be sincere,

            but an enemy’s kisses deceive.                                  

Prov 27:1-6

⁷ A person that’s full hates honey;

one that’s famished thinks bitter tastes sweet.

                  ⁸If you wander away from home,

            you’re like a bird that wanders off from its nest.

⁹ Oil and perfume make you feel good,

and a friend’s advice is sweet.

                  ¹⁰Don’t abandon a friend, yours or your father’s;

            that way, if misfortune comes,

                  you won’t have to impose on your brother’s house;

            a near neighbor is better than a distant brother.

¹¹ Be wise and make me happy, child,

so I can answer critics that try to disgrace me.

                  ¹²The prudent foresee danger and take precautions;

            the simpleminded plunge ahead and pay the price.

Prov 27:7-12

¹³ Get security from someone that guarantees a foreigner’s debt;

get a deposit for a promiscuous woman.

                  ¹⁴Loudly blessing a friend in the morning

            will be taken as an enemy’s curse.

¹⁵ A contentious wife is like a steady rain;

      ¹⁶ whoever tries to restrain her

            may as well try to restrain the wind

            or hold onto something with an oily hand.                

Prov 27:13-16

¹⁷ Like iron sharpens iron,

one person sharpens another.

                  ¹⁸If you tend a fig tree, you'll eat its fruit;

            if you aid your master’s interests, you’ll be rewarded.

¹⁹ As water reflects a face,

the heart reflects the real person.

                  ²⁰Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied;

            neither are people’s wants.

²¹ A crucible is for silver, and a furnace is for gold;

a person is put to the test by flattery.

                  ²²Though you grind fools in a mortar

                  with a pestle like crushed grain,

            you won’t separate them from their foolishness.      

Prov 27:17-22

²³ Keep tabs on the condition of your flocks;

            pay close attention to your herds,

      ²⁴ because wealth doesn’t last forever,

            and a crown isn’t permanent.

²⁵ When the hay’s all in

      and new growth starts to appear

      and the grass on the hillsides is in the barn,

²⁶ lambs will provide wool for your clothes,

            and your goats will be worth enough to buy a field;

      ²⁷ you’ll have enough goats’ milk for yourself,

            your family, and your servant girls.                          

Prov 27:23-27