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Proverbs chapter 27 in Hebrew and English

27 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל בְּיוֹם מָחָר כִּי לֹא־תֵדַע מַה־יֵּלֶד יֽוֹם׃

Boast not thyself of to- morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

יְהַלֶּלְךָ זָר וְלֹא־פִיךָ נָכְרִי וְאַל־שְׂפָתֶֽיךָ׃

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.

כֹּבֶד־אֶבֶן וְנֵטֶל הַחוֹל וְכַעַס אֱוִיל כָּבֵד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶֽם׃

A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; But a fool’s vexation is heavier than they both.

אַכְזְרִיּוּת חֵמָה וְשֶׁטֶף אָף וּמִי יַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי קִנְאָֽה׃

Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?

טוֹבָה תּוֹכַחַת מְגֻלָּה מֵאַהֲבָה מְסֻתָּֽרֶת׃

Better is open rebuke Than love that is hidden.

נֶאֱמָנִים פִּצְעֵי אוֹהֵב וְנַעְתָּרוֹת נְשִׁיקוֹת שׂוֹנֵֽא׃

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are importunate.

נֶפֶשׁ שְׂבֵעָה תָּבוּס נֹפֶת וְנֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה כָּל־מַר מָתֽוֹק׃

The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

כְּצִפּוֹר נוֹדֶדֶת מִן־קִנָּהּ כֵּן־אִישׁ נוֹדֵד מִמְּקוֹמֽוֹ׃

As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.

שֶׁמֶן וּקְטֹרֶת יְשַׂמַּח־לֵב וּמֶתֶק רֵעֵהוּ מֵֽעֲצַת־נָֽפֶשׁ׃

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.

רֵעֲךָ וְרֵעַ אָבִיךָ אַל־תַּעֲזֹב וּבֵית אָחִיךָ אַל־תָּבוֹא בְּיוֹם אֵידֶךָ טוֹב שָׁכֵן קָרוֹב מֵאָח רָחֽוֹק׃

Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; Neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity; Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

חֲכַם בְּנִי וְשַׂמַּח לִבִּי וְאָשִׁיבָה חֹרְפִי דָבָֽר׃

My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that taunteth me.

עָרוּם רָאָה רָעָה נִסְתָּר פְּתָאיִם עָבְרוּ נֶעֱנָֽשׁוּ׃

A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the thoughtless pass on, and are punished.

קַח־בִּגְדוֹ כִּי־עָרַב זָר וּבְעַד נָכְרִיָּה חַבְלֵֽהוּ׃

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for an alien woman.

מְבָרֵךְ רֵעֵהוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּים קְלָלָה תֵּחָשֶׁב לֽוֹ׃

He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him.

דֶּלֶף טוֹרֵד בְּיוֹם סַגְרִיר וְאֵשֶׁת מִדְיָנִים נִשְׁתָּוָֽה׃

A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;

צֹפְנֶיהָ צָפַן־רוּחַ וְשֶׁמֶן יְמִינוֹ יִקְרָֽא׃

He that would hide her hideth the wind, And the ointment of his right hand betrayeth itself.

בַּרְזֶל בְּבַרְזֶל יָחַד וְאִישׁ יַחַד פְּנֵֽי־רֵעֵֽהוּ׃

Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

נֹצֵר תְּאֵנָה יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ וְשֹׁמֵר אֲדֹנָיו יְכֻבָּֽד׃

Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים כֵּן לֵב־הָאָדָם לָאָדָֽם׃

As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man.

שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדּוֹ לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה וְעֵינֵי הָאָדָם לֹא תִשְׂבַּֽעְנָה׃

The nether-world and Destruction are never satiated; So the eyes of man are never satiated.

מַצְרֵף לַכֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וְאִישׁ לְפִי מַהֲלָלֽוֹ׃

The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, And a man is tried by his praise.

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

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among groats, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע פְּנֵי צֹאנֶךָ שִׁית לִבְּךָ לַעֲדָרִֽים׃

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds;

כִּי לֹא לְעוֹלָם חֹסֶן וְאִם־נֵזֶר לְדוֹר וָדֽוֹר׃

For riches are not for ever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations?

גָּלָה חָצִיר וְנִרְאָה־דֶשֶׁא וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עִשְּׂבוֹת הָרִֽים׃

When the hay is mown, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in;

כְּבָשִׂים לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ וּמְחִיר שָׂדֶה עַתּוּדִֽים׃

The lambs will be for thy clothing, And the goats the price for a field. .

וְדֵי חֲלֵב עִזִּים לְלַחְמְךָ לְלֶחֶם בֵּיתֶךָ וְחַיִּים לְנַעֲרוֹתֶֽיךָ׃

And there will be goats’milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household; And maintenance for thy maidens.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 27 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs
  • Proverbs is one of the Writings
  • 27 verses, 212 words, about 2 minutes to read

Proverbs has 31 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Proverbs·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Proverbs chapter 27 have?

Proverbs chapter 27 has 27 verses and 212 words.

How does Proverbs chapter 27 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words אל־תתהלל ביום מחר כי.

Where does Proverbs chapter 27 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 27 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Proverbs chapter 27?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.