Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. If you are going to get praise, let someone else do it, For if you do it yourself you will most likely screw it, For when its your own arm patting you on the back, People want to reach out and give you a smack. Self praise is not what people should hear, But rather, praise from others who love you so dear.

1. PROVERBS 27 I

2. POETRY
By Glenn Pease
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Do not boast about tomorrow,
As if you know it will hold no sorrow,
For the fact is, you don't know a thing
About what any day may bring.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.
If you are going to get praise, let someone else do it,
For if you do it yourself you will most likely screw it,
For when its your own arm patting you on the back,
People want to reach out and give you a smack.
Self praise is not what people should hear,
But rather, praise from others who love you so dear.
3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.
There are many heavy burdens like stone and sand,
And they call for your getting some helping hand,
But heavier yet is a fool's provoking,
For it weighs on your chest till you feel your choking.
4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
Anger is cruel, and its fury overwhelms you,
But there is hope from its blast you can come through,
But jealousy is even a greater force in man,
And it is always doubtful that any can stand.
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Better is rebuke right out in the open for all to see,
Where everyone knows what your judgment will be,
Than to be hidden and silent, looking white as a dove,
With a camouflage over your so called love.
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,

3. but an enemy multiplies kisses.
When a friend really cares it will sometimes hurt,
But a foe is more likely to approach you and flirt.
He wants to kiss you and make you feel good,
But your friend wants you to be just who you should.
7 He who is full loathes honey,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
When you have filled yourself full spending all of your money,
You have not the slightest interest in eating some honey,
But when you have no money, and you're hungry to beat,
Even the most bitter things will truly taste sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
When a bird flies away and strays from its nest,
It leaves its family at the mercy of dangerous pests,
And so it is for people too; when a man from his home strays,
It is his family that he betrays, exposing them to dangerous days.
9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
Perfume and incense have a lovely smell
They add to the hearts joy extremely well,
And the same is true of a dear friends advice,
For it is like an aroma that smells so nice.
10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you—
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

4. ever forsake a great family friend,
But stay loyal to them to the very end,
And do not in trouble go run to your brother,
But stick with your neighbors, and help one another,
For the neighbor is right there day after day,
And not like your brother who lives far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
Please live the good life son, and bring joy to my heart,
For that is a life pleasure that never will part,

5. And with that reputation I can hold my head high,
And not cringe when I see my enemies come by.
12 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
When a wise man sees danger in the road up ahead,
He will stop, or pull off, and not speed on instead,
But the simpleton thinks that if he just goes faster,
He can get through the danger without disaster.
13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.
Protect yourself from the fool with his cash
Who is willing to co-sign with a spirit so rash,
For he does not see how great is the risk
Of involvement with strangers with speed so brisk,
Even more so when for a wayward women he seems to have slipped a disk.
14 If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.
If a man comes by early like a morning earthquake,
And shouts good things loudly to shock you awake,
It is not a pleasant sound like some poetry or verse,
But it is painful to the ears, and you call it a curse.
15 A quarrelsome wife is like
a constant dripping on a rainy day;
This proverb seems not a nice thing to say,
That a wife can be so annoying this way,
But a quarrelsome wife is, in fact, a pain,
Like the endless dripping of drops of rain.
Thank heavens Solomon had much more to say,
About the wife who brings joy like a sunny day.
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.
This quarrelsome wife is slippery indeed,
And many are the husbands who are fully agreed,
It is almost impossible for him to get a grip
And stop the continuous babbling lip.
It goes and goes to beat the band,
And stopping it is like grasping oil in the hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,

6. so one man sharpens another.
One piece of metal can sharpen another,
And one man can also sharpen his brother.
Sometimes it may hurt as they rub the wrong way,
But in the long run, this sharpening will pay.
18 He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who looks after his master will be honored.
Take care of the fig tree and when it gets big,
You'll be among the first to enjoy the fruit fig,
And if you look after all your master's things,
You'll get the honor that good workmanship brings.
19 As water reflects a face,
so a man's heart reflects the man.
As water reflects a face
Better than most any place,
So does the heart of man,
Reflect him better than,
Any other part of him can.
20 Death and Destruction [a] are never satisfied,
and neither are the eyes of man.
Death and destruction are never satisfied,
And man wants everything he has ever eyed.
He eyes behold a vast world of things,
And in him a greedy spirit springs,
For he has never enough; he wants it all
And so much of his life is spent at the mall.
21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but man is tested by the praise he receives.
The fire of the furnace will bring forth silver and gold,
But here is one of the strangest things ever told,
For man is not tested in a way that is best,
By troubles and trials that weigh on his chest,
But the most revealing test is how he acts and believes
When the honors and praises of others he receives.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding him like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove his folly from him.

7. There is no grinding tool
To grind folly from a fool.
There is no fool removal plan
To remove foolishness from this man.
23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
You head is surly filled with rocks
If you ignore the health of your flocks,
And what could be more simple words,
Than pay attention to your herds.
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
Just because you have money in the bank
Does not mean your good life can't tank,
And just because you are now on the throne
Does not mean you can't be soon on your own.
Life is always changing, and so think ahead,
For you need to make adjustments until you are dead.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats' milk
to feed you and your family
and to nourish your servant girls.
What a wonderful time of the year
When hay is cut and the new growth appear.
The grass is gathered in from the hills
And we are sitting pretty to pay our bills.
The goats will provide money for a new field,
And the lambs will clothing from their wool yield.
The goats provide milk all the family to feed,
And even the servant girls will have all that they need.
We have lived wisely, and have done our best,
And now we are truly of our God most blest.