New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
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Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth— a stranger, and not your own lips.
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Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth; one who is strange to you, and not your lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
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A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who is able to stand before jealousy?
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Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?
5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
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Better is open protest than love kept secret.
6 Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
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The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.
7 The sated appetite spurns honey, but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet.
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The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is one who strays from home.
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Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.
9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad, but the soul is torn by trouble.
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Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.
10 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away.
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Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
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My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.
12 The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
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The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.
13 Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger; seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.
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Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.
14 Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.
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He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike;
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Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.
16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in the right hand.
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He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.
17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.
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Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.
18 Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.
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Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.
19 Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another.
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Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied.
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The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.
21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, so a person is tested by being praised.
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The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.
22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.
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Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.
23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds;
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Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;
24 for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations.
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For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.
25 When the grass is gone, and new growth appears, and the herbage of the mountains is gathered,
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The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.
26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field;
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The lambs are for your clothing, and the he-goats make the value of a field:
27 there will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and nourishment for your servant-girls.
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There will be goats' milk enough for your food, and for the support of your servant-girls.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.