1 Don't boast yourself of tomorrow; For you don't know what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; But a fool's vexation is heavier than both of them.

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 profuse.

7 The full soul loathes a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8 As a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his place.

9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So does the sweetness of a man's companion [that comes] of hearty counsel.

10 Your own companion, and your father's companion, do not forsake; And don't go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity: Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far off.

11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him who reproaches me.

12 A prudent man sees the evil, [and] hides himself; [But] the simple pass on, [and] suffer for it.

13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [who is surety] for a foreign woman.

14 He who blesses his fellow man with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.

15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike:

16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind; And his right hand encounters oil.

17 Iron sharpens iron; So a man sharpens the countenance of his fellow man.

18 Whoever keeps the fig-tree will eat its fruit; And he who regards his master will be honored.

19 As in water face [answers] to face, So the heart of man to man.

20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is [tried] by his praise.

22 Though you should bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, [And] look well to your herds:

24 For riches are not forever: And does the crown endure to all generations?

25 The hay is carried, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.

26 The lambs are for your clothing, And the goats are the price of the field;

27 And [there will be] goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, And maintenance for your maidens.