Chapter 27

  Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.  

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  Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth; one who is strange to you, and not your lips.  

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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.  

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  Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?  

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  Better is open protest than love kept secret.  

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  The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.  

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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.  

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  Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.  

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  Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.  

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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.  

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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.  

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  The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.  

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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.  

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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.  

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  Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.  

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  He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.  

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  Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.  

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  Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.  

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  Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.  

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  The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.  

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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.  

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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.  

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  Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;  

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  For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.  

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  The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.  

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  The lambs are for your clothing, and the he-goats make the value of a field:  

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  There will be goats' milk enough for your food, and for the support of your servant-girls.  

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