Proverbs 27:3-23

³A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.

⁴Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?

⁵Better is open protest than love kept secret.

⁶The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.

⁷The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.

⁹Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.

¹⁰Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.

¹¹My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.

¹²The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.

¹³Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.

¹⁴He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.

¹⁵Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.

¹⁶He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.

¹⁷Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.

¹⁸Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.

¹⁹Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.

²⁰The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.

²¹The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.

²²Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.

²³Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;