⁹The heartfelt counsel of a friendis as sweet as perfume and incense.
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.
¹¹Be wise, my child,#27:11 Hebrew my son. and make my heart glad.Then I will be able to answer my critics.
¹²A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
¹³Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.#27:13 As in Greek and Latin versions (see also 20:16); Hebrew reads for a promiscuous woman.
¹⁴A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morningwill be taken as a curse!
¹⁵A quarrelsome wife is as annoyingas constant dripping on a rainy day.
¹⁶Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the windor trying to hold something with greased hands.
¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,so a friend sharpens a friend.
¹⁸As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
¹⁹As a face is reflected in water,so the heart reflects the real person.