| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. | 1Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. |
| 2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips. | 2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips. |
| 3A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both. | 3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier. |
| 4Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy? | 4Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. |
| 5Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed. | 5An open rebuke is better than hidden love! |
| 6The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. | 6Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. |
| 7The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet. | 7A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. |
| 8Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who wanders from his home. | 8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest. |
| 9Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul. | 9The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. |
| 10Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. | 10Never 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. |
| 11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, so that I can answer him who taunts me. | 11Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics. |
| 12The prudent see danger and take cover; but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. | 12A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. |
| 13Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner. | 13Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. |
| 14If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted to him as a curse. | 14A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse! |
| 15A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike— | 15A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. |
| 16restraining her is like holding back the wind or grasping oil with one’s right hand. | 16Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands. |
| 17As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. | 17As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
| 18Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. | 18As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded. |
| 19As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the true man. | 19As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. |
| 20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. | 20Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. |
| 21A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him. | 21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. |
| 22Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him. | 22You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. |
| 23Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds; | 23Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, |
| 24for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation. | 24for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. |
| 25When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered, | 25After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, |
| 26the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. | 26your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. |
| 27You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants. | 27And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls. |
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