1 Boast not thyself of to- morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; But a fool’s vexation is heavier than they both.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is hidden.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are importunate.
7 The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.
10 Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; Neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity; Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that taunteth me.
12 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the thoughtless pass on, and are punished.
13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for an alien woman.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He that would hide her hideth the wind, And the ointment of his right hand betrayeth itself.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19 As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man.
20 The nether-world and Destruction are never satiated; So the eyes of man are never satiated.
21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, And a man is tried by his praise.
22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among groats, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds;
24 For riches are not for ever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations?
25 When the hay is mown, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in;
26 The lambs will be for thy clothing, And the goats the price for a field. .
27 And there will be goats’milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household; And maintenance for thy maidens.