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Proverbs chapter 27

English Standard Version

1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. 2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. 3A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. 4Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? 5Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 7One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. 8Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. 9Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 10Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. 11Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me. 12The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. 13Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress. 14Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. 15A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike; 16to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand. 17Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. 18Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored. 19As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. 20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. 21The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise. 22Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. 23Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? 25When the grass is gone and the 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. 27There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.
New International Version

1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
2Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.
3Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
4Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
5Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
6Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
7One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
8Like a bird that flees its nest is anyone who flees from home.
9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
10Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative's house when disaster strikes you-- better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
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 dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
16restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.
17As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
18The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored.
19As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart.
20Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.
21The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.
22Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. 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. 25When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, 26the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. 27You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.
New American Standard Bible

1Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring. 2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. 3A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them. 4Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? 5Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 7A satisfied person despises honey, But to a hungry person any bitter thing is sweet. 8Like a bird that wanders from its nest, So is a person who wanders from his home. 9Oil and perfume make the heart glad, And a person’s advice is sweet to his friend. 10Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. 11Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, So that I may reply to one who taunts me. 12A prudent person sees evil and hides himself; But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty. 13Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger; And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him. 14One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be considered a curse to him. 15A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; 16He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand. 17 As iron sharpens iron, So one person sharpens another. 18One who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And one who cares for his master will be honored. 19As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of a person ever satisfied. 21The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him. 22Though you pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, His foolishness still will not leave him. 23Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; 24For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. 25 When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, 26The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field, 27And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your attendants.
Christian Standard Bible

1Don't boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day might bring.
2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth -- a stranger, and not your own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and sand a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
4Fury is cruel, and anger a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
5Better an open reprimand than concealed love.
6The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.
7A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb, but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.
8Anyone wandering from his home is like a bird wandering from its nest.
9Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.
10Don't abandon your friend or your father's friend, and don't go to your brother's house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
11Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy, so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.
12A sensible person sees danger and takes cover; the inexperienced keep going and are punished.
13Take his garment, for he has put up security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for foreigners.
14If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him. 15An endless dripping on a rainy day and a nagging wife are alike;
16the one who controls her controls the wind and grasps oil with his right hand.
17Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.
18Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever looks after his master will be honored.
19As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person.
20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and people's eyes are never satisfied.
21As a crucible refines silver, and a smelter refines gold, so a person should refine his praise.
22Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, you will not separate his foolishness from him. 23Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds, 24for wealth is not forever; not even a crown lasts for all time. 25When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered in, 26lambs will provide your clothing, and goats, the price of a field; 27there will be enough goat's milk for your food -- food for your household and nourishment for your female servants.
New Living Translation

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

1Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. 4Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
5Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
7The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
9Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. 10Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
13Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
14He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.
17Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
20Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
22Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. 24For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? 25The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. 26The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. 27And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

What does Proverbs chapter 27 mean?

Chapter 25 began a series of wise sayings attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 25:1), collected from other sources by Hezekiah's men. This list continues through the end of chapter 29. This passage includes several references to truthful, tactful communication and the value of good stewardship.

The chapter begins with a famous warning about the uncertainties of life. Much of this chapter extols the virtue of planning for the future. However, it's unwise to brag about something that has not yet been accomplished. Similar ideas are echoed in the New Testament (James 4:13–15). Arrogance of any kind is risky. Solomon notes how difficult it is to endure attacks from foolish, persistent people. In contrast, genuine love is shown by speaking the truth (Proverbs 27:1–6).

Further wisdom explains the value of close friends, who can be even more helpful than blood relatives in a time of crisis. Other notes speak about the sensibility of avoiding danger, maintaining a good reputation, the misery of a nagging spouse, and the frustrating way foolish people seem to cling to their errors (Proverbs 27:7–22).

The final segment of this chapter highlights the value of good stewardship. This uses the examples of livestock and farming. A diligent farmer cares for his flock, doing his best to ensure a prosperous future. Current wealth does not guarantee future wealth, so it's wise to plan ahead. Such efforts are more likely than not to lead to success. A lazy or irresponsible person risks falling behind and failing to provide for their family (Proverbs 27:23–27).
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