1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth! 2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips. 3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty; But a fool's wrath is heavier than both. 4 Wrath is cruel, and anger overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy? 5 Better is open rebuke Than love kept concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7 He who is fed to the full loatheth the honeycomb; But to the hungry any bitter thing is sweet. 8 As a bird that wandereth from its nest, So is a man who wandereth from his place. 9 Oil and perfume gladden the heart; Sweet also is one's friend by hearty counsel. 10 Thine 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. 11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may give an answer to him that reproacheth me. 12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; The simple pass on, and are punished. 13 Take his garment who is surety for another; Yea, take a pledge of him who is bound for a stranger. 14 He who blesseth his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early for it, It shall be accounted to him as a curse. 15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a quarrelsome wife are alike. 16 He who restraineth her restraineth the wind; And his right hand layeth hold of oil. 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So one man sharpeneth the face of another. 18 He that watcheth the fig-tree shall eat its fruit; So he that is careful for his master shall come to honor. 19 As in water face answereth to face, So doth the heart of man to man. 20 The realms of the dead are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. 21 The refining-pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; So let a man be to the mouth that giveth him praise. 22 Though thou shouldst beat a fool in a mortar, Among bruised wheat, with a pestle, Yet will not his folly depart from him. 23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds! 24 For riches last not for ever; Not even a crown endureth from generation to generation. 25 The hay disappeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbage of the mountains is gathered in. 26 The lambs are thy clothing, And the goats the price of thy field. 27 There is goat's milk enough for thy food, For the food of thy household, And for the sustenance of thy maidens.