1Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth!

2Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.

3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty; But a fool's wrath is heavier than both.

4Wrath is cruel, and anger overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5Better is open rebuke Than love kept concealed.

6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

7He who is fed to the full loatheth the honeycomb; But to the hungry any bitter thing is sweet.

8As a bird that wandereth from its nest, So is a man who wandereth from his place.

9Oil and perfume gladden the heart; Sweet also is one's friend by hearty counsel.

10Thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake not; And go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity. Better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off.

11Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may give an answer to him that reproacheth me.

12A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; The simple pass on, and are punished.

13Take his garment who is surety for another; Yea, take a pledge of him who is bound for a stranger.

14He who blesseth his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early for it, It shall be accounted to him as a curse.

15A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a quarrelsome wife are alike.

16He who restraineth her restraineth the wind; And his right hand layeth hold of oil.

17Iron sharpeneth iron; So one man sharpeneth the face of another.

18He that watcheth the fig-tree shall eat its fruit; So he that is careful for his master shall come to honor.

19As in water face answereth to face, So doth the heart of man to man.

20The realms of the dead are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21The refining-pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; So let a man be to the mouth that giveth him praise.

22Though thou shouldst beat a fool in a mortar, Among bruised wheat, with a pestle, Yet will not his folly depart from him.

23Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds!

24For riches last not for ever; Not even a crown endureth from generation to generation.

25The hay disappeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbage of the mountains is gathered in.

26The lambs are thy clothing, And the goats the price of thy field.

27There is goat's milk enough for thy food, For the food of thy household, And for the sustenance of thy maidens.