[1] Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
[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 is weighty, But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.
[4] Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, But who is able to stand before jealousy?
[5] Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.
[6] Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
[7] A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
[8] Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place.
[9] Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
[10] Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
[11] My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him who reproaches me.
[12] A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished.
[13] Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger, And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.
[14] He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
[15] A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
[16] Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.
[17] As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
[18] Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored.
[19] As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.
[20] Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
[21] The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others say of him.
[22] Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
[23] Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
[24] For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
[25] When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
[26] The lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the price of a field;
[27] You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.