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for you do not know what the day may bring.
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand a burden,
but the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger overwhelming,
but who can withstand jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke
than concealed love.
6 The wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
7 He who has a sated appetite loathes honey,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest,
so is a man who strays from his home.
9 Oil and perfume make the heart rejoice,
and the pleasant counsel of a friend is sweetness to a man.
10 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your father,
or flee to your brother’s house on the day when disaster strikes you;
better a neighbour nearby, than a brother far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so I can answer anyone who taunts me.
12 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going and are punished for it.
13 Take the garment of one who has put up surety for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is for a foreigner.
14 If a man blesses his neighbour with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.
15 A constant dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind,
or grasping oil with the right hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens the other.
18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who looks after his master will be honoured.
19 As the water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and the eyes of man are also never satisfied.
21 As the crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
so is a man tested by the praise he receives.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle as though crushing grain,
yet you will not separate his folly from him.
23 Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks,
and give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the harvest from the hills is gathered,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have enough goats’ milk
to feed you and your household
and to nourish your maidservants.