1 Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.
since you don’t know what the day will bring.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth —
a stranger, not your own lips.
a stranger, not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
but jealousy is even more dangerous.
but jealousy is even more dangerous.
5 An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!
is better than hidden love!
6 Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.
are better than many kisses from an enemy.
7 A person who is full refuses honey,
but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8 A person who strays from home
is like a bird that strays from its nest.
is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.
is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10 Never abandon a friend —
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
11 Be wise, my child,a and make my heart glad.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
13 Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.b
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.b
14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning
will be taken as a curse!
will be taken as a curse!
15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16 Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind
or trying to hold something with greased hands.
or trying to hold something with greased hands.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.
so a friend sharpens a friend.
18 As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,
so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
19 As a face is reflected in water,
so the heart reflects the real person.
so the heart reflects the real person.
20 Just as Death and Destructionc are never satisfied,
so human desire is never satisfied.
so human desire is never satisfied.
21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.d
but a person is tested by being praised.d
22 You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
23 Know the state of your flocks,
and put your heart into caring for your herds,
and put your heart into caring for your herds,
24 for riches don’t last forever,
and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
and your goats will provide the price of a field.
and your goats will provide the price of a field.
27 And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
your family, and your servant girls.
your family, and your servant girls.