Proverbs 27
1 Boast not of to-morrow; for you know not what the next day shall bring forth.
Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
2 Let your neighbour, and not your own mouth, praise you; a stranger, and not your own lips.
Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand cumbersome; but a fool's wrath is heavier than both.
[It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
4 Wrath is merciless, and anger sharp: but envy can bear nothing.
It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
5 Open reproofs are better than secret love.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 The wounds of a friend are more to be trusted than the spontaneous kisses of an enemy.
If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
7 A full soul scorns honeycombs; but to a hungry soul even bitter things appear sweet.
When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
8 As when a bird flies down from its own nest, so a man is brought into bondage whenever he estranges himself from his own place.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 The heart delights in ointments and wines and perfumes: but the soul is broken by calamities.
[Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
10 Your own friend, and your father's friend, forsake not; and when you are in distress go not into your brother's house: better is a friend [that is] near than a brother living far off.
Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
11 Son, be wise, that your heart may rejoice; and remove you from yourself reproachful words.
My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
12 A wise man, when evils are approaching, hides himself; but fools pass on, and will be punished.
Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
13 Take away the man's garment, (for a scorner has passed by) whoever lays waste another's goods.
[You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
14 Whosoever shall bless a friend in the morning with a loud voice, shall seem to differ nothing from one who curses [him].
If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
15 On a stormy day drops [of rain] drive a man out of his house; so also does a railing woman [drive a man] out of his own house.
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 The north wind is sharp, but it is called by name propitious.
[Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron; and a man sharpens his friend's countenance.
[We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
18 He that plants a fig tree shall eat the fruits of it: so he that waits on his own master shall be honoured.
Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
19 As faces are not like [other] faces, so neither are the thoughts of men.
[When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
20 Hell and destruction are not filled; so also are the eyes of men insatiable. [He that fixes his eye is an abomination to the Lord; and the uninstructed do not restrain their tongue.] (Sheol h7585)
[It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
21 Fire is the trial for silver and gold; and a man is tried by the mouth of them that praise him. The heart of the transgressor seeks after mischiefs; but an upright heart seeks knowledge.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
22 Though you scourge a fool, disgracing him in the midst of the council, you will [still] in no wise remove his folly from him.
Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
23 Do you thoroughly know the number of your flock, and pay attention to your herds.
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 For a man [has] not strength and power for ever; neither does he transmit it from generation to generation.
because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
25 Take care of the herbage in the field, and you shall cut grass, and gather the mountain hay;
After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
26 that you may have [wool of] sheep for clothing: pay attention to the land, that you may have lambs.
you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
27 [My] son, you have from me words very useful for your life, and for the life of your servants.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
