Proverbs 27:17-27
Proverbs 27:17-27 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him. Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him. Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field, And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your maidens.
Proverbs 27:17-27 The Message (MSG)
You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. If you care for your orchard, you’ll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you’ll be honored. Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart. Hell has a voracious appetite, and lust just never quits. The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame. Pound on a fool all you like— you can’t pound out foolishness. Know your sheep by name; carefully attend to your flocks; (Don’t take them for granted; possessions don’t last forever, you know.) And then, when the crops are in and the harvest is stored in the barns, You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool, and sell your goats for a profit; There will be plenty of milk and meat to last your family through the winter.
Proverbs 27:17-27 King James Version (KJV)
Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man. Hell and destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; So is a man to his praise. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, And herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Proverbs 27:17-27 New Century Version (NCV)
As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other. Whoever tends a fig tree gets to eat its fruit, and whoever takes care of his master will receive honor. As water reflects your face, so your mind shows what kind of person you are. People will never stop dying and being destroyed, and they will never stop wanting more than they have. A hot furnace tests silver and gold, and people are tested by the praise they receive. Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl, you couldn’t remove the foolishness. Be sure you know how your sheep are doing, and pay attention to the condition of your cattle. Riches will not go on forever, nor do governments go on forever. Bring in the hay, and let the new grass appear. Gather the grass from the hills. Make clothes from the lambs’ wool, and sell some goats to buy a field. There will be plenty of goat’s milk to feed you and your family and to make your servant girls healthy.
Proverbs 27:17-27 American Standard Version (ASV)
Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that regardeth his master shall be honored. As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied. The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is tried by his praise. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds: For riches are not for ever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations? The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in. The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field; And there will be goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens.
Proverbs 27:17-27 New International Version (NIV)
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored. As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes. The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise. Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.
Proverbs 27:17-27 New King James Version (NKJV)
As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored. As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others say of him. Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him. Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, The lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the price of a field; You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.
Proverbs 27:17-27 Amplified Bible (AMP)
As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion]. He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who faithfully protects and cares for his master will be honored. [1 Cor 9:7, 13] As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man. Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the underworld) are never satisfied; Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. [Prov 30:16; Hab 2:5] The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold [to separate the impurities of the metal], And each is tested by the praise given to him [and his response to it, whether humble or proud]. Even though you pound a [hardened, arrogant] fool [who rejects wisdom] in a mortar with a pestle like grain, Yet his foolishness will not leave him. ¶Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen, And herbs of the mountain are gathered in, The lambs will supply wool for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field. And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And for the maintenance of your maids.
Proverbs 27:17-27 New Living Translation (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded. As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.
Proverbs 27:17-27 The Passion Translation (TPT)
It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of another. Tend an orchard and you’ll have fruit to eat. Serve the Master’s interests and you’ll receive honor that’s sweet. Just as no two faces are exactly alike, so every heart is different. Death and destruction are never filled, and the desires of men’s hearts are insatiable. Fire is the way to test the purity of silver and gold, but the character of a man is tested by giving him a measure of fame. You can beat a fool half to death and still never beat the foolishness out of him. A shepherd should pay close attention to the faces of his flock and hold close to his heart the condition of those he cares for. A man’s strength, power, and riches will one day fade away; not even nations endure forever. Take care of your responsibilities and be diligent in your business and you will have more than enough— an abundance of food, clothing, and plenty for your household.
Proverbs 27:17-27 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored. As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise. Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.
