Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

The chapter opens by forbidding boastfulness about tomorrow and self-praise, since the future remains unknown and honor is better received than seized. It then weighs the heaviness of stone, sand, wrath, and jealousy before concluding that open rebuke and even a friend's wounds are more faithful than hidden or flattering love.

D¹o not boast about tomorrow, ²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth— ³A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, ⁴Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, ⁵Better an open rebuke ⁶The wounds of a friend are faithful,

These sayings contrast satiety with hunger, rootedness with wandering, and then celebrate the sweetness of heartfelt counsel between friends. The reader is urged not to forsake proven relationships, to live wisely as a joy to his father, and to imitate the prudent who see danger coming and take cover.

⁷The soul that is full loathes honey, ⁸Like a bird that strays from its nest ⁹Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, ¹⁰Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, ¹¹Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, ¹²The prudent see danger and take cover,

The chapter next returns to themes of financial risk, ill-timed speech, and domestic strain, warning against guaranteeing strangers and against intrusive or noisy displays of goodwill. It closes this cluster with the famous image of iron sharpening iron, showing that wise companionship shapes people through mutual friction and refinement.

¹³Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger; ¹⁴If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, ¹⁵A constant dripping on a rainy day ¹⁶restraining her is like holding back the wind ¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,

Those who tend a fig tree or serve their master faithfully eventually share in the fruit of their labor, and the heart reveals the person as a face is reflected in water. Yet desire remains insatiable, praise tests a person like fire tests metal, and even severe grinding cannot extract folly from a fool.

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, ¹⁹As water reflects the face, ²⁰Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; ²¹A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, ²²Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle,

The chapter ends with an extended call to know the condition of one's flocks because wealth and royal splendor do not last forever. Seasonal growth, lambs, goats, and milk become images of sustainable provision, teaching that wise stewardship pays attention to changing conditions and receives ordinary abundance as the means of household stability.

²³Be sure to know the state of your flocks, ²⁴for riches are not forever, ²⁵When hay is removed and new growth appears ²⁶the lambs will provide you with clothing, ²⁷You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—