Friendship, Counsel, and Practical Wisdom for Life
Proverbs 27:1-27
1Do not boast about tomorrow, because you do not know what a day may bring forth.2Let a stranger praise you, and not your mouth; a foreigner, and not your lips.3Stone has weight and sand has weight, yet the vexation of a fool is heavier than both.4Cruel rage and a flood of anger—who can stand before jealousy?5Open rebuke is better than hidden love.6Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.7One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry every bitter thing is sweet.8Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from his sincere counsel.10Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you; better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who taunts me.12The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.13Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.14If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.15A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm.16Whoever would hide her hides the wind; the oil in his right hand will cry out.17As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.18Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever cares for their master will be honored.19As water reflects the face, so the heart of man reflects man.20Sheol and destruction are never satisfied, and a man's eyes are never satisfied.21The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by the praise of his mouth.22Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle, his folly will not depart from him.23Be sure you know the condition of your flocks; give careful attention to your herds.24For riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.25The grass disappears and new growth appears, and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered.26The lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field.27You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.