Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Don't boast about tomorrow; For you don't know what a day may bring forth.
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Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.
2 Let another man praise you, And not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.
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Don't call attention to yourself; let others do that for you.
3 A stone is heavy, And sand is a burden; But a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
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Carrying a log across your shoulders while you're hefting a boulder with your arms Is nothing compared to the burden of putting up with a fool.
4 Wrath is cruel, And anger is overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?
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We're blasted by anger and swamped by rage, but who can survive jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke Than hidden love.
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A spoken reprimand is better than approval that's never expressed.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; Although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
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The wounds from a lover are worth it; kisses from an enemy do you in.
7 A full soul loathes a honeycomb; But to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.
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When you've stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert; when you're starved, you could eat a horse.
8 As a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his home.
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People who won't settle down, wandering hither and yon, are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.
9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; So does earnest counsel from a man's friend.
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Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
10 Don't forsake your friend and your father's friend. Don't go to your brother's house in the day of your disaster: Better is a neighbor who is near than a distant brother.
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Don't leave your friends or your parents' friends and run home to your family when things get rough; Better a nearby friend than a distant family.
11 Be wise, my son, And bring joy to my heart, Then I can answer my tormentor.
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Become wise, dear child, and make me happy; then nothing the world throws my way will upset me.
12 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; But the simple pass on, and suffer for it:
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A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.
13 Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger; Hold it for a wayward woman!
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Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.
14 He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be taken as a curse by him.
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If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting "Rise and shine!" It will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing.
15 A continual dropping on a rainy day And a contentious wife are alike:
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A nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet;
16 Restraining her is like restraining the wind, Or like grasping oil in his right hand.
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You can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it. Your Face Mirrors Your Heart
17 Iron sharpens iron; So a man sharpens his friend's countenance.
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You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.
18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit. He who looks after his master shall be honored.
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If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 As water reflects a face, So a man's heart reflects the man.
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Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
20 She'ol and Avaddon are never satisfied; And a man's eyes are never satisfied.
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Hell has a voracious appetite, and lust just never quits.
21 The crucible is for silver, And the furnace for gold; But man is refined by his praise.
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The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, Yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
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Pound on a fool all you like - you can't pound out foolishness.
23 Know well the state of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds:
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Know your sheep by name; carefully attend to your flocks;
24 For riches are not forever, Nor does even the crown endure to all generations.
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(Don't take them for granted; possessions don't last forever, you know.)
25 The hay is removed, and the new growth appears, The grasses of the hills are gathered in.
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And then, when the crops are in and the harvest is stored in the barns,
26 The lambs are for your clothing, And the goats are the price of a field.
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You can knit sweaters from lambs' wool, and sell your goats for a profit;
27 There will be plenty of goats' milk for your food, For your family's food, And for the nourishment of your servant girls.
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There will be plenty of milk and meat to last your family through the winter.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.