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 the sand weighty ; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both . 4Wrath is cruel , and anger is outrageous ; but who is able to stand before envy ? 5Open rebuke is better than secret love . 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend ; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful .
The Dangers of Pride and Self-Sufficiency
7The full soul loatheth an honeycomb ; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet . 8As a bird that wandereth from her nest , so is a man that wandereth from his place . 9Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart : so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel . 10Thine own friend , and thy father’s friend , forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity : for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off . 11My son , be wise , and make my heart glad , that I may answer him that reproacheth me. 12A prudent man foreseeth the evil , and hideth himself; but the simple pass on , and are punished .
The Importance of Wisdom and Discernment
13Take his garment that is surety for a stranger , and take a pledge of him for a strange woman . 14He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice , rising early in the morning , it shall be counted a curse to him. 15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike . 16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind , and the ointment of his right hand , which bewrayeth itself . 17Iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend . 18Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured . 19As in water face answereth to face , so the heart of man to man . 20Hell and destruction are never full ; so the eyes of man are never satisfied .
The Necessity of Care and Provision
21As the fining pot for silver , and the furnace for gold ; so is a man to his praise . 22Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle , yet will not his foolishness depart from him. 23Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks , and look well to thy herds . 24For riches are not for ever : and doth the crown endure to every generation ? 25The hay appeareth , and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered . 26The lambs are for thy clothing , and the goats are the price of the field . 27And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food , for the food of thy household , and for the maintenance for thy maidens .