Proverbs 27:7-27

⁷A man filled shall despise an honeycomb (or A full person shall despise an honeycomb); but an hungry man shall take, yea, bitter thing for sweet.

⁸As a bird passing over from his nest, so is a man that forsaketh his place. (Like a bird passing over its own nest, is a man who is far from his own home.)

⁹The heart delighteth in ointment, and diverse odours; and a soul is made sweet by the good counsels of a friend.

¹⁰Forsake thou not thy friend, and the friend of thy father; and enter thou not into the house of thy brother, in the day of thy torment. Better is a neighbour nigh, than a brother afar. (Desert thou not thy friend, or thy father’s friend; and enter thou not into the house of thy brother, on the day of thy torment. For a friend close-by is better, than thy own brother far away.)

¹¹My son, study thou about wisdom, and make thou glad mine heart; that thou mayest answer a word to a despiser (or so that I can have an answer for any despiser, or for any mocker).

¹²A fell man seeing evil was hid; little men of wit passing forth suffered harms. (A clever person, seeing evil approach, was hidden; but people of little wit, or of low intelligence, pass forth, or continue on, and suffer harm.)

¹³Take thou away his cloth, that promised for a stranger; and take thou away a wed from him for an alien man. (Take thou away his cloak, who hath promised for a stranger; and take thou away a pledge from him for an unknown person.)

¹⁴He that blesseth his neighbour with a great voice; and riseth by night, shall be like him that curseth (him). (He who blesseth his neighbour with a great voice, when he riseth at night, shall be likened to him who curseth him.)

¹⁵Roofs dropping in the day of cold, and a woman full of chiding, be likened together. (Roofs dripping rain on a cold day, and a woman full of arguments, or of bickering, be quite similar.)

¹⁶He that withholdeth her, (is) as if he holdeth (the) wind; and voideth the oil (out) of his right hand. (He who trieth to hold her, is like him who trieth to hold the wind; and like him who trieth to pick up oil with his fingers.)

¹⁷Iron is whetted by iron; and a man whetteth the face of his friend. (Iron is sharpened by iron; and a man sharpeneth his friend’s mind.)

¹⁸He that keepeth a fig tree (safe), shall eat the fruits thereof; and he that is a keeper of his lord, shall be glorified. (He who keepeth a fig tree safe, shall eat its fruits; and he who keepeth his lord safe, shall be honoured.)

¹⁹As the cheers of men beholding (themselves) shine in waters; so the hearts of men be open to prudent men. (Like the faces of people beholding themselves shine in the water; so people’s hearts be open to prudent people.)

²⁰Hell and perdition shall not be filled; so and the eyes of men be not able to be (ful)filled. (Sheol, or the land of the dead, and perdition, or Hell and perdition, shall never be filled full; and the eyes, or the appetites, of people shall never be fulfilled, or satisfied.)

²¹As silver is proved in a welling place, and gold is proved in a furnace; so a man is proved by the mouth of his praisers (or so a person is proved, or assayed, by the words of his praisers).

²²Though thou poundedest a fool in a mortar, as with a pestle smiting above dried barley (or like pounding dried barley with a pestle), his folly shall not be done away from him.

²³Know thou diligently the cheer of thy beast; and behold thou thy flocks. (Diligently know the faces of thy beasts; and keep watch thou over thy flocks.)

²⁴For thou shalt not have power continually; but a crown shall be given to thee in generation and into generation. (For thou shalt not have wealth forever; nor shall a crown endure for generations and generations.)

²⁵Meadows be opened, and green herbs appeared; and hay is gathered from the hills (or and the grass is gathered from the hills).

²⁶Lambs be to thy clothing; and kids be to the price of the field. (Lambs be for thy clothing; and goat kids be worth the price of a field.)

²⁷The milk of goats suffice to thee for thy meats; into the necessary things of thine house, and to lifelode of thine handmaidens. (Goats? milk suffice for thee for thy food; yea, for the necessities of thy house, and for the sustenance of thy handmaids, or of thy servantesses.)