Proverbs 27
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Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
10 Thine 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.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Proverbs 27:1-27
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.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Prov. 27:1-27
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.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
“Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later” (TEV).Of course we can’t really know the future—we don’t have even today. All we actually have is this moment, as it slides along the continuum of time.
But the wise person takes seriously the nature of reality—and recognizes in the present--
Echoes from history
Warnings from prophets
Operations of “Law” in nature and human behavior
Wisdom from God’s perspective — and makes decisions accordingly.
“Lady Wisdom” in Proverbs 9 has built her house, supported by seven carved pillars.That intriguing analogy seems to indicate a substructure for wisdom, especially considering these supports are “hewn,” crafted, and not “received.” God guides our minds…but He doesn’t do our hard thinking for us. He has given to us the work of finding evidence, doing analysis, reasoning from cause to consequence, creating specifications, and designing operations in harmony with the Laws of Nature that He put into the world around us.
Those who are focused on their own self-interest, not able or caring to see at a distance, will meet disaster—in the form of reality. But wisdom is how the sensible person lives life. It’s a broader context, a longer view, whose end is joy!
Virginia Davidson, Artist—designing and building stained glass windows
Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, Washington State, USA
