Proverbs 27 — Friendship, honest counsel, and care for one's resources — Hebrew and Greek compared

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day will bear.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:1

Do not boast of things for tomorrow,

for you do not know what the coming day will bear.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:2

Let another praise you, and not your mouth,

a foreigner, and not your lips.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:2

Let your neighbor praise you, and not your mouth,

another, and not your lips.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:3

A stone's weight and a load of sand—

a fool's vexation is heavier than both.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:3

A stone is heavy and sand hard to carry,

but a fool's anger is heavier than both.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:4

Wrath is cruelty and anger a flood,

but who can stand before jealousy?

Greek–English (G)

G 27:4

Wrath is merciless and anger sharp,

but jealousy bears with no one.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:5

Better open reproof

than hidden love.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:5

Open rebukes are better than concealed friendship.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:6

Faithful are the wounds of one who loves,

but profuse are the kisses of one who hates.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:6

A friend's wounds are more trustworthy

than an enemy's willing kisses.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:7

A satisfied appetite tramples honey-drippings,

but to a hungry appetite every bitter thing is sweet.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:7

A life in fullness mocks honeycombs,

but to a needy life even bitter things seem sweet.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:8

Like a bird wandering from its nest,

so is a man wandering from his place.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:8

As when a bird flies down from its own nest,

so a person is enslaved when estranged from his own places.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:9

Oil and incense gladden the heart,

and a companion's sweetness comes from counsel of the soul.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:9

The heart delights in perfumes and wines and incense,

but the life is torn apart by misfortunes.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:10

Do not abandon your companion or your father's companion,

and do not enter your brother's house on your day of calamity;

better a nearby neighbor than a distant brother.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:10

Do not abandon your friend or an ancestral friend,

and do not enter your brother's house when unfortunate;

a nearby friend is better than a brother dwelling far away.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:11

Be wise, my son, and gladden my heart,

so that I may return a word to the one reproaching me.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:11

Become wise, son, so that my heart may rejoice,

and turn reproachful words away from yourself.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:12

A shrewd person sees evil and hides;

the simple pass on and are penalized.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:12

A resourceful person hid when evils approached,

but fools who went on will pay a penalty.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:13

Take his garment, for he guaranteed a stranger,

and for a foreign woman take a pledge from him.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:13

Take away his garment, for he has transgressed;

one who ruins another's property is insolent.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:14

One who blesses his companion with a loud voice early in the morning—

it will be counted as a curse to him.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:14

One who blesses a friend early with a loud voice

will seem no different from one cursing.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:15

A persistent dripping on a rainy day

and a contentious wife are alike.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:15

Drops drive a man from his house on a wintry day,

and likewise an abusive wife from his own house.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:16

One who restrains her restrains wind,

and oil in his right hand calls out.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:16

The north wind is a harsh wind,

but by name it is called favorable.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:17

Iron sharpens iron,

and a man sharpens the face of his companion.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:17

Iron sharpens iron,

but a man provokes the face of a companion.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:18

One who guards a fig tree eats its fruit,

and one who watches over his master will be honored.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:18

One who plants a fig tree will eat its fruits,

and one who guards his own master will be honored.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:19

As in water face answers face,

so a person's heart answers a person.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:19

As faces are not like faces,

so neither are human hearts.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:20

Sheol and destruction are not satisfied,

and human eyes are not satisfied.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:20

Hades and destruction are not filled,

and likewise human eyes are insatiable.

Hebrew–English (H)

H —

[No corresponding text in the displayed Hebrew main text.]

Greek–English (G)

G 27:20a

One who fixes an eye is an abomination to the Lord,

and the uneducated are unrestrained in tongue.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:21

A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,

and a man according to his praise.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:21

A test for silver and gold is burning,

but a man is tested through the mouth of those who praise him.

Hebrew–English (H)

H —

[No corresponding text in the displayed Hebrew main text.]

Greek–English (G)

G 27:21a

A lawless person's heart searches out evils,

but an upright heart searches out knowledge.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:22

Even if you pound a fool in a mortar

among crushed grain with a pestle,

his folly will not turn from him.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:22

If you whip a fool in the midst of a council, dishonoring him,

you will certainly not strip away his foolishness.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:23

Know well the faces of your flock;

set your heart upon the herds,

Greek–English (G)

G 27:23

Know thoroughly the lives of your flock,

and set your heart upon your herds;

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:24

for wealth is not forever,

nor is a crown for generation after generation.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:24

for a man's might and strength do not last forever,

nor does he hand them on from generation to generation.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:25

When grass is removed and fresh growth appears,

and the mountain herbs are gathered,

Greek–English (G)

G 27:25

Care for the green growth in the plain, and you will cut grass,

and gather mountain fodder,

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:26

lambs are for your clothing,

and male goats are the price of a field,

Greek–English (G)

G 27:26

so that you may have sheep for clothing;

value a plain, so that you may have lambs.

Hebrew–English (H)

H 27:27

and there is enough goats' milk for your food,

for the food of your household,

and sustenance for your young women.

Greek–English (G)

G 27:27

Son, from me you have strong sayings for your life,

and for the life of your attendants.