1Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what any day may bring forth.

2Let another praise you, not your own mouth;

a stranger, not your own lips.

3Stone is heavy, and sand a burden,

but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.a

4Anger is cruel, and wrath overwhelming,

but before jealousy who can stand?*

5* Better is an open rebuke

than a love that remains hidden.

6Trustworthy are the blows of a friend,

dangerous, the kisses of an enemy.*

7One who is full spurns honey;

but to the hungry, any bitter thing is sweet.

8Like a bird far from the nest

so is anyone far from home.*

9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,

but by grief the soul is torn asunder.

10Do not give up your own friend and your father’s friend;

do not resort to the house of your kindred when trouble strikes.

Better a neighbor near than kin far away.*

11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,

so that I can answer whoever taunts me.*

12The astute see an evil and hide;

the naive continue on and pay the penalty.b

13Take the garment of the one who became surety for a stranger;c

if for a foreign woman, exact the pledge!*

14Those who greet their neighbor with a loud voice* in the early morning,

a curse can be laid to their charge.

15For a persistent leak on a rainy day

the match is a quarrelsome wife;d

16Whoever would hide her hides a stormwind

and cannot tell north from south.

17Iron is sharpened by iron;

one person sharpens another.*

18Those who tend a fig tree eat its fruit;

so those attentive to their master will be honored.

19As face mirrors face in water,

so the heart reflects the person.

20Sheol and Abaddon can never be satisfied;e

so the eyes of mortals can never be satisfied.*

21The crucible for silver, the furnace for gold,

so you must assay the praise you receive.

22Though you pound fools with a pestle,

their folly never leaves them.

23* Take good care of your flocks,

give careful attention to your herds;

24For wealth does not last forever,

nor even a crown from age to age.

25When the grass comes up and the new growth appears,

and the mountain greens are gathered in,

26The lambs will provide you with clothing,

and the goats, the price of a field,

27And there will be ample goat’s milk for your food,

food for your house, sustenance for your maidens.