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Warnings and Instructions

^1 (C1)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you ^(C2)do not know what a day may bring. ^(VR1)

² Let ^(C1)another praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

³ Stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But a fool's unreasonable wrath is heavier and more burdensome than both of them.

⁴ Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood,
But ^(C1)who is able to endure and stand before the sin of jealousy?

^5 (C1)Better is an open reprimand of loving correction
Than love that is hidden. ^(VR1)

⁶ Faithful are the ^(C1)wounds of a friend who corrects out of love and concern,
But the ^(C2)kisses of an enemy are deceitful because they serve his hidden agenda.

⁷ He who is satisfied loathes honey,
But to the hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸ Like a ^(C1)bird that wanders from her nest with its comfort and safety,
So is a man who ^(C2)wanders from his home.

^9 (C1)Oil and perfume make the heart glad;
So does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart.

¹⁰ Do not abandon your own ^(C1)friend and ^(C2)your father's friend,
And do not go to your brother's house in the day of your disaster.
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

¹¹ My son, ^(C1)be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may ^(C2)reply to him who reproaches (reprimands, criticizes) me. ^(VR1)

¹² A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it,
But the naive who are easily misled continue on and are punished by suffering the consequences of sin. ^(VR1)

¹³ The judge tells the creditor, "^(C1)Take the garment of one who is surety (guarantees a loan) for a stranger;
And hold him in pledge when he is surety for an immoral woman for it is unlikely the debt will be repaid." ^(VR1)

^14 (C1)He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be counted as a curse to him for it will either be annoying or his purpose will be suspect.

¹⁵ A ^(C1)constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious (quarrelsome) woman are alike; ^(VR1)

¹⁶ Whoever attempts to restrain her criticism might as well try to stop the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens and influences another through discussion.

¹⁸ He who tends the ^(C1)fig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who faithfully ^(C2)protects and cares for his master will be honored. ^(VR1)

¹⁹ As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.

^20 (C1)Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the underworld) are ^(C2)never satisfied;
Nor are the ^(C3)eyes of man ever satisfied. ^(VR1)

²¹ The ^(C1)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold to separate the impurities of the metal,
And each ^(C2)is tested by the praise given to him and his response to it, whether humble or proud.

²² Even though you ^(C1)pound a hardened, arrogant fool who rejects wisdom in a mortar with a pestle like grain,
Yet his foolishness will not leave him.

²³ Be diligent to ^(C1)know the condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;

²⁴ For riches are not forever,
Nor does a ^(C1)crown endure to all generations.

²⁵ When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen,
And herbs of the mountain are ^(C1)gathered in,

²⁶ The lambs will supply wool for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field.

²⁷ And there will be enough goats' milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And for the maintenance of your maids.