New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.
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Don't brag about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day will bring.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips.
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Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
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A stone is heavy and sand weighs much, but the nuisance of fools is heavier than both.
4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
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Wrath is cruel and anger is a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
5 An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
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A public correction is better than hidden love.
6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
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Trustworthy are the bruises of a friend; excessive are the kisses of an enemy.
7 A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
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Someone who is full refuses honey, but anything bitter tastes sweet to a hungry person.
8 A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
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Like a bird wandering from its nest, so is one who wanders from home.
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
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Oil and incense make the heart glad, and the sweetness of friends comes from their advice.
10 Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
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Don't desert your friend or a friend of your family; don't go to your relative's house when disaster strikes. Better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.
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Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, so I can answer those who insult me.
12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
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Prudent people see evil and hide; the simpleminded go right to it and get punished.
13 Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
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Take the garment of the person who secures a loan for a stranger; take his pledge for a foreigner.
14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
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Greeting a neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning will be viewed as a curse.
15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.
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The constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike;
16 Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.
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anyone who can control her can control the wind or pick up oil in his hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
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As iron sharpens iron, so friends sharpen each other's faces.
18 As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
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Those who tend a fig tree will eat its fruit, and those who look after their master will be honored.
19 As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
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As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects one person to another.
20 Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
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The grave and the underworld are never satisfied; and people's eyes are never satisfied.
21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
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A crucible is for silver and a furnace for gold, so are people in the presence of someone who praises them.
22 You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
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Even if you grind fools in a mortar, even grinding them along with the grain, their folly won't be driven from them.
23 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
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Know your flock well; pay attention to your herds,
24 for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
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for no treasure lasts forever, nor a crown generation after generation.
25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
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When the grass goes away, new growth appears, and the plants of the hills are gathered,
26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field.
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then the lambs will provide your clothes, and the goats will be the price of your fields.
27 And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.
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There will be enough goat's milk for your food, for the food of your house, and to nourish your young women.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible