Proverbs 26-28

Proverbs 26

¹Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.

²As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.

³A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.

⁴Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.

⁵Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.

⁶He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.

⁷The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.

⁸Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.

⁹Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.

¹⁰Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.

¹¹Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

¹²Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.

¹³The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

¹⁴A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.

¹⁵The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.

¹⁶The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.

¹⁷He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

¹⁸As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,

¹⁹So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?

²⁰Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.

²¹Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.

²²The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.

²³Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.

²⁴With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;

²⁵When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:

²⁶Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.

²⁷He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.

²⁸A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.

Proverbs 27

¹Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.

²Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth; one who is strange to you, and not your lips.

³A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.

⁴Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?

⁵Better is open protest than love kept secret.

⁶The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.

⁷The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.

⁹Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.

¹⁰Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.

¹¹My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.

¹²The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.

¹³Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.

¹⁴He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.

¹⁵Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.

¹⁶He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.

¹⁷Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.

¹⁸Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.

¹⁹Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.

²⁰The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.

²¹The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.

²²Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.

²³Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;

²⁴For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.

²⁵The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.

²⁶The lambs are for your clothing, and the he-goats make the value of a field:

²⁷There will be goats' milk enough for your food, and for the support of your servant-girls.

Proverbs 28

¹The evil man goes running away when no man is after him, but the upright are without fear, like the lion.

²Because of the sin of the land, its troubles are increased; but by a man of wisdom and knowledge they will be put out like a fire.

³A man of wealth who is cruel to the poor is like a violent rain causing destruction of food.

⁴Those who have no respect for the law give praise to the evil-doer; but such as keep the law are against him.

⁵Evil men have no knowledge of what is right; but those who go after the Lord have knowledge of all things.

⁶Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are not straight.

⁷He who keeps the law is a wise son, but he who keeps company with feasters puts shame on his father.

⁸He who makes his wealth greater by taking interest, only gets it together for him who has pity on the poor.

⁹As for the man whose ear is turned away from hearing the law, even his prayer is disgusting.

¹⁰Anyone causing the upright to go wandering in an evil way, will himself go down into the hole he has made; but the upright will have good things for their heritage.

¹¹The man of wealth seems to himself to be wise, but the poor man who has sense has a low opinion of him.

¹²When the upright do well, there is great glory; but when evil-doers are lifted up, men do not let themselves be seen.

¹³He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.

¹⁴Happy is the man in whom is the fear of the Lord at all times; but he whose heart is hard will come into trouble.

¹⁵Like a loud-voiced lion and a wandering bear, is an evil ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶The prince who has no sense is a cruel ruler; but he who has no desire to get profit for himself will have long life.

¹⁷One who has been the cause of a man's death will go in flight to the underworld: let no man give him help.

¹⁸He whose ways are upright will be safe, but sudden will be the fall of him whose ways are twisted.

¹⁹By ploughing his land a man will have bread in full measure; but he who goes after good-for-nothing persons will be poor enough.

²⁰A man of good faith will have great blessing, but one attempting to get wealth quickly will not go free from punishment.

²¹It is not good to have respect for a man's position: for a man will do wrong for a bit of bread.

²²He who is ever desiring wealth goes running after money, and does not see that need will come on him.

²³He who says words of protest to a man will later have more approval than one who says smooth words with his tongue.

²⁴He who takes from his father or his mother what is theirs by right, and says, It is no sin; is the same as a taker of life.

²⁵He who is ever desiring profit is a cause of fighting; but he who puts his faith in the Lord will be made fat.

²⁶He whose faith is in himself is foolish; but everyone walking wisely will be kept safe.

²⁷He who gives to the poor will never be in need, but great curses will be on him who gives no attention to them.

²⁸When evil-doers are lifted up, men take cover; but when destruction overtakes them, the upright are increased.