Proverbs 27:1-20a

¹Boast not of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what the next day shall bring forth.

²Let thy neighbor, and not thine own mouth, praise thee; A stranger, and not thine own lips.

³A stone is heavy, and sand cumbersome; But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both.

⁴Wrath is merciless, and anger sharp: But envy can bear nothing.

⁵Open reproofs are better than secret love.

⁶The wounds of a friend are more to be trusted Than the spontaneous kisses of an enemy.

⁷A full soul scorns honeycombs; But to a hungry soul even bitter things appear sweet.

⁸As when a bird flies down from its own nest, So a man is brought into bondage whenever he estranges himself from his own place.

⁹The heart delights in ointments and wines and perfumes: But the soul is broken by calamities.

¹⁰Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; And when thou art in distress go not into thy brother’s house: Better is a friend that is near than a brother living far off.

¹¹Son, be wise, that thy heart may rejoice; And remove thou from thyself reproachful words.

¹²A wise man, when evils are approaching, hides himself; But fools pass on, and will be punished.

¹³Take away the man’s garment (for a scorner has passed by), Whoever lays waste another’s goods.

¹⁴Whosoever shall bless a friend in the morning with a loud voice, Shall seem to differ nothing from one who curses him.

¹⁵On a stormy day drops of rain drive a man out of his house; So also does a railing woman drive a man out of his own house.

¹⁶The north wind is sharp, But it is called by name propitious.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron; And a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.

¹⁸He that plants a fig tree shall eat the fruits of it: So he that waits on his own master shall be honored.

¹⁹As faces are not like other faces, So neither are the thoughts of men.

²⁰Hell and destruction are not filled; So also are the eyes of men insatiable.

^20aHe that fixes his eye is an abomination to the Lord; And the uninstructed do not restrain their tongue.