New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
1Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. | 1Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. |
2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. | 2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips. |
3A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them. | 3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier. |
4Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? | 4Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. |
5Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. | 5An open rebuke is better than hidden love! |
6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. | 6Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. |
7A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. | 7A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. |
8Like a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his home. | 8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest. |
9Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend. | 9The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. |
10Do not forsake your own friend or 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 far away. | 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 son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me. | 11Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics. |
12A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty. | 12A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. |
13Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge. | 13Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. |
14He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him. | 14A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse! |
15A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; | 15A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. |
16He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand. | 16Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands. |
17Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. | 17As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
18He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. | 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 in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man. | 19As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. |
20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. | 20Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. |
21The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him. | 21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. |
22Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him. | 22You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. |
23Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; | 23Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, |
24For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. | 24for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. |
25When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, | 25After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, |
26The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field, | 26your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. |
27And there will be goats' milk enough for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your maidens. | 27And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls. |
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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