Proverbs 27
1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may 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 another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine 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 the sand weighty; but a fool’s vexation is heavier than them 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 cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
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 Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend: but the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
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 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb: but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is 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 a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.
[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 Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; and go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother 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 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
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 prudent man seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself: [but] the simple pass on, [and] suffer for it.
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 his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge [that is surety] for a strange woman.
[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 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to 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 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike:
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 He that would restrain her restraineth the wind, and his right hand encountereth oil.
[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 sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
[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 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof; and he that waiteth on his 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 in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.
[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.
[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 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, and a man is [tried] by his praise.
[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 thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among bruised corn, yet will not his foolishness depart 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 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds:
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 For riches are not for ever; and doth the crown endure unto all generations?
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 The hay is carried, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
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 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field:
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 And [there will be] goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household; and maintenance for thy maidens.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
