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

3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

4Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

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

7A satisfied soul [a]loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his place.

9Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by [b]hearty counsel.

10Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

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

12A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are punished.

13Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

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

15A continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16Whoever [c]restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

17As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

18Whoever [d]keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

19As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

20Hell[e] and [f]Destruction are never full;
So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.

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

23Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
24For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;
27You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.