1 Don’t brag about tomorrow.
You don’t know what a day will bring.
2 Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth.
Let an outsider praise you, and not your own lips.
3 Stones are heavy, and sand weighs a lot.
But letting a foolish person make you angry is a heavier load than both of them.
4 Anger is mean, and great anger overpowers you.
But who can face jealousy?
5 Being warned openly is better
than being loved in secret.
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted.
But an enemy kisses you many times.
7 When you are full, you even hate honey.
When you are hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet.
8 Anyone who runs away from home
is like a bird that flies away from its nest.
9 Perfume and incense bring joy to your heart.
And the sweetness of a friend comes from their honest advice.
10 Don’t desert your friend or a friend of your family.
And don’t go to your relative’s house when trouble strikes you.
A neighbor nearby is better than a relative far away.
11 My son, be wise and bring joy to my heart.
Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me.
12 Wise people see danger and go to a safe place.
But childish people keep on going and suffer for it.
13 Take the coat of one who puts up money for what a stranger owes.
Hold it until you get paid back if it is done for an outsider.
14 Suppose you loudly bless your neighbor early in the morning.
Then you might as well be cursing him.
15 A nagging wife is like the dripping
of a leaky roof in a rainstorm.
16 Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind.
It’s like trying to grab olive oil with your hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
18 A person who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit.
And a person who protects their master will be honored.
19 When you look into water, you see a likeness of your face.
When you look into your heart, you see what you are really like.
20 Death and the Grave are never satisfied.
People’s eyes are never satisfied either.
21 Fire tests silver, and heat tests gold.
But people are tested by the praise they receive.
22 Suppose you could grind a foolish person in a mill.
Suppose you could grind them as you would grind grain with a tool.
Even then you could not remove their foolishness from them.
23 Be sure you know how your flocks are doing.
Pay careful attention to your herds.
24 Riches don’t last forever.
And a crown is not secure for all time to come.
25 The hay is removed, and new growth appears.
The grass from the hills is gathered in.
26 Then your lambs will provide you with clothes.
And the money from selling your goats will buy you a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family.
It will also feed your female servants.
(NIRV) Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Click here for more copyright information.