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 [a]deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

7A satisfied [b]person [c]despises honey,

But to a hungry [d]person any bitter thing is sweet.

8Like a bird that wanders from its nest,

So is a person who wanders from his [e]home.

9Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

And a [f]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 [g]restrain her [h]restrains the wind,

And [i]grasps oil with his right hand.

17As 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[j]Sheol and [k]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 [l]condition of your flocks,

And pay attention to your herds;

24For riches are not forever,

Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

25When 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.