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