אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל בְּיוֹם מָחָר כִּי לֹא־תֵדַע מַה־יֵּלֶד יוֹם

Do not glory in tomorrow; do not glorify yourself in all the wonderful things you expect will happen to you in the future, for you do not know what a day will bring about, what will actually occur.

יְהַלֶּלְךָ זָר וְלֹא־פִיךָ נָכְרִי וְאַל שְׂפָתֶיךָ

Let a stranger praise you, and not your own mouth. When it comes to compliments about you, it is better that they come from others rather than from yourself. Let a foreigner praise you, and not your own lips.

כֹּבֶד אֶבֶן וְנֵטֶל הַחוֹל וְכַעַס אֱוִיל כָּבֵד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶם

Heavy is a stone and likewise weighty is the sand, but the anger of a fool is heavier than both of them. There are many heavy, wearisome objects in the world, but the anger of a fool is more oppressive than all of them.

אַכְזְרִיּוּת חֵמָה וְשֶׁטֶף אָף ומִי יַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי קִנְאָה

Cruelty is often the result of fury and a torrent of wrath, but who can withstand jealousy? Jealousy is harsher than anger, as it can completely engulf a person.

טוֹבָה תּוֹכַחַת מְגֻלָּה מֵאַהֲבָה מְסֻתָּרֶת

Better open rebuke than concealed love. Love that has no external expression is of minimal benefit. By contrast, an actual rebuke, which is unpleasant at first, might ultimately have a positive effect.

נֶאֱמָנִים פִּצְעֵי אוֹהֵב וְנַעְתָּרוֹת נְשִׁיקוֹת שׂוֹנֵא

Faithful, suitable and acceptable, are the wounds of a friend, and the kisses of an enemy are onerous. Reproof and castigation delivered by someone who cares are for the good, whereas the apparently favorable approaches of an enemy are invariably unhelpful.

נֶפֶשׁ שְׂבֵעָה תָּבוּס נֹפֶת ונֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה כָּל־מַר מָתוֹק

The sated soul will reject honey. One who has eaten too much will lose his appetite entirely and reject even sweet, tasty foods; and for the hungry soul everything bitter is sweet. Even bitter foods are welcome to the palate of the hungry.

כְּצִפּוֹר נוֹדֶדֶת מִן־קִנָּהּ כֵּן־אִישׁ נוֹדֵד מִמְּקוֹמוֹ

Like a bird wandering from its nest to seek food or to escape some disturbance will find no rest until it returns to its home, so is a man who wanders from his place to earn a livelihood or to flee from trouble. He too yearns to come back, and is not at ease and settled until he returns.

שֶׁמֶן וּקְטֹרֶת יְשַׂמַּח לֵב מֶתֶק רֵעֵהוּ מֵעֲצַת־נָפֶשׁ

Refreshing oil and fragrant incense gladden the heart, and this is similar to the sweetness of one’s friend that comes from profound counsel. There is a special sweetness and joy in receiving sincere advice from a good friend.

רֵעֲךָ וְרֵעַ אָבִיךָ אַל־תַּעֲזֹב ובֵית אָחִיךָ אַל־תָּבוֹא בְּיוֹם אֵידֶךָ טוֹב שָׁכֵן קָרוֹב מֵאָח רָחוֹק

This proverb continues the theme of the previous one: Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend; remain faithful. And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your calamity, because he, unlike your friend, suffers together with you, and your presence will only make things harder for him. A close friend is better, more useful and effective, than a distant brother. If your brother remains distant and is uninterested in drawing close to you, he will not provide you with support.

חֲכַם בְּנִי ושַׂמַּח לִבִּי וְאָשִׁיבָה חֹרְפִי דָבָר

Be wise, my son, and thereby my heart will be glad, and I will have an answer for him who reviles and curses me. People sometimes curse a person for the failure of his student or son. A successful son or disciple protects the parent or educator from disparagement or humiliation.

עָרוּם רָאָה רָעָה נִסְתָּר פְּתָאיִם עָבְרוּ נֶעֱנָשׁוּ

The clever, discerning one sees potential harm ahead and immediately hides, but naїfs, by contrast, pass right through the dangerous spot, and are punished for their recklessness, as they do not know how to exercise caution. This advice was mentioned above (22:3).

קַח בִּגְדוֹ כִּי עָרַב זָר וּבְעַד נָכְרִיָּה חַבְלֵהוּ

A lender is often told: Take his garment, the garment of so-and-so, for he was a guarantor on a loan for a stranger and needlessly acted against his own interests. And take it as collateral for a foreign woman, for whom he signed as a guarantor in order to help extricate her from trouble. It is better not to become involved in the debts of others, certainly not strangers who request a supposedly small favor. By becoming involved a person is liable to lose his possessions. This advice also appeared earlier (20:16; and see, e.g., 6:1, 17:18).

מְבָרֵךְ רֵעֵהוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּים קְלָלָה תֵּחָשֶׁב לוֹ

He who blesses his friend in a loud voice early in the morning, when all can hear his blessing, in an overly eager manner or at an unseemly hour, it will be considered a curse to him. Not everyone likes to be blessed loudly. Furthermore, too many public blessings and praises can be harmful. If it is openly proclaimed that someone is generous, for example, too many people might come to his door seeking support and assistance. It is better to bless someone in private and in the appropriate circumstances.

דֶּלֶף טוֹרֵד בְּיוֹם סַגְרִיר וְאֵשֶׁת מִדְיָנִים נִשְׁתָּוָה

A bothersome drip inside one’s home on a cold rainy day and a contentious woman are alike, equally unpleasant.

צֹפְנֶיהָ צָפַן־רוּחַ וְשֶׁמֶן ימִינוֹ יִקְרָא

In fact, a contentious woman is even worse than dripping water, as he who hides her flaws is like one who hides wind, an impossible task, and she is like the oil [shemen] of his right hand which proclaims or declares itself. Her presence cannot be concealed, like oil smeared on the right hand, which leaves its traces on everything. Other interpretations: He will eventually hurt his right hand and will have to smear it with oil; trying to hide her is like attempting to hide oil in one’s hand, a pointless effort; or he will have to call upon his fattened [shemena], strong, right hand in order to control a contentious woman.

בַּרְזֶל בְּבַרְזֶל יָחַד וְאִישׁ יַחַד פְּנֵי־רֵעֵהוּ

Iron sharpens other iron when the two items are rubbed against each other; and so too a man sharpens in the presence of [penei] his friend. When two friends sit together, they sharpen each other’s minds. Some translate: He makes the countenance of [penei] his friend joyful.

נֹצֵר תְּאֵנָה יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ ושֹׁמֵר אֲדֹנָיו יְכֻבָּד

The guardian of a fig tree, whose fruit ripens in stages over a lengthy period of time rather than in a single day, is the one who will eat its fruit. In order to take the fruit, it is necessary to remain next to the tree and guard the figs from damage when they fall as well as ensure that they are neither taken by others nor eaten by animals. And likewise, the diligent and devoted protector of his master, or teacher, will be honored. He will earn honor, which is the fruit of his labor.

כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים כֵן לֵב הָאָדָם לָאָדָם

As water reflects a face back to the face that looks into it, so does the heart of a person reflect his feelings to a person who faces him. One who looks into water will see his own face, as in a mirror, and every distortion of his features, whether due to affection or anger, will appear there. Similarly, one’s heart reflects back the feelings of another, as a person treats a friend in the manner in which he is treated by his friend.

שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדֹּה לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה וְעֵינֵי הָאָדָם לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה

The grave and oblivion are not sated, as more and more people enter into them, and likewise the eyes of man are not sated; they are always craving more. Endless greed is a kind of internal hell within a person.

מַצְרֵף כֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וְאִישׁ לְפִי מַהֲלָלוֹ

The refining pot is used for testing and purifying silver, and the crucible, which is even hotter than a refining pot, is for gold, and a man is tested, and his quality can be ascertained, according to his praise, the compliments that people pay him. Alternatively, the verse means that the more one is praised, the more exacting the scrutiny of his conduct; or: The nature of a person can be established by that which he himself praises.

אִם־תִּכְתּוֹשׁ אֶת־הָאֱוִיל בַּמַּכְתֵּשׁ בְּתוֹךְ הָרִיפוֹת בַּעֱלִי לֹא־תָסוּר מֵעָלָיו אִוַּלְתּוֹ

If you crush a fool among the groats in a mortar and strike him with a pestle, a small stone rod, that is, even if you chastise him, his folly will not be removed from him. He will remain foolish, and therefore there is no point in reprimanding him.

יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע פְּנֵי צֹאנֶךָ שִׁית לִבְּךָ לַעֲדָרִים

Know the faces of your flocks, their nature and needs, and pay attention to the herds, despite the fact that they generally do not require close supervision;

כִּי לֹא לְעוֹלָם חֹסֶן וְאִם נֵזֶר לְדוֹר וָדוֹר

for prosperity, material wealth and power, is not forever, nor is a crown, a precious item or exalted state, something that will necessarily remain from generation to generation. Not even a crown lasts forever, and therefore one should pay attention to minor, prosaic matters as well, such as taking care of one’s flock, despite the dull nature of such occupations.

גָּלָה חָצִיר וְנִרְאָה דֶשֶׁא וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עִשְּׂבוֹת הָרִים

The text explains why taking care of one’s flock is a good investment: Pasture is revealed, and grass is seen, and the vegetation of the mountains, the flocks’ pasture, is gathered, and it grows again each season so that the animals have a constant source of food.

כְּבָשִׂים לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ וּמְחִיר שָׂדֶה עַתּוּדִים

The wool of the lambs will be for your garments and he-goats will serve for the price of a field. Male goats produce neither milk nor wool, but they can be sold in order to fund the acquisition of a field.

וְדי חֲלֵב עִזִּים לְלַחְמְךָ לְלֶחֶם בֵּיתֶךָ וְחַיִּים לְנַעֲרוֹתֶיךָ

Goats’ milk will suffice for your food, for the food of your household, your entire family; and the milk will also provide nourishment for your maids.