Proverbs 27 (NASB2020)
Warnings and Instructions
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 27:6 Or excessivedeceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
7A satisfied 27:7 Lit soulperson 27:7 Lit tramples ondespises honey,
But to a hungry 27:7 Lit soulperson any bitter thing is sweet.
8Like a bird that wanders from its nest,
So is a person who wanders from his 27:8 Lit placehome.
9Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
And a 27:9 Lit soul’sperson’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 27:16 Lit hide(s)restrain her 27:16 Lit hide(s)restrains the wind,
And 27:16 Lit encountersgrasps oil with his right hand.
17 As 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 27:20 I.e., The netherworldSheol and 27:20 I.e., the place of destructionAbaddon 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.
23¶Know well the 27:23 Lit facecondition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When 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.
Understand Proverbs 27
A verse-by-verse study of Proverbs 27: what the chapter is doing, and what three commentaries say about it. Written to be readable if this is new to you.
Read the Proverbs 27 commentary