Proverbs 27:13-27

Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned. If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting “Rise and shine!” It will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing. A nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet; You can’t turn it off, and you can’t get away from it. 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.