a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Etymology
Calque of, possibly deriving from sources as old as the ancient Middle East, with the 6th century  including "a sparrow in thy hand is better than a thousand sparrows flying".

Proverb

 * 1) A sure thing is preferable to the mere chance at something more.
 * 2) * 15th c., John Capgrave, Life of St Katherine, Bodleian MS Rawlinson poet. 118, Bk. II:
 * It is more sykyr a bryd in youre fyste Than to have thre in the sky above And more profitabyl to youre behove.
 * 1) * 1737, Henry Fielding, Pasquin, Act II, Scene I, p. 27:
 * May. No, but the Sides are going to be changed ; and Sir Harry is to be ſome very great Man ; and as ſoon as he is, I am to be made an Embaſſador of. Mrs. May. Made an Aſs of! Will you never learn of me, that a Bird in the Hand is worth two in the Buſh ?

Translations

 * Albanian: flaka të djeg, prushi të ngroh
 * Arabic: عُصْفُورٌ فِي ٱلْيَدِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عُصْفُورِينَ عَلَى ٱلشَّجَرَةِ
 * Armenian: փորձված թանը անփորձ մածունի հետ չեն փոխի
 * Belarusian: лепш верабей у руцэ, чым жораў пад небам
 * Bulgarian: по́-добре́ врабче́ в ръка́та, отко́лкото за́ек в гора́та
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 一鳥在手勝於十鳥在林
 * Czech: lepší vrabec v hrsti, nežli holub na střeše
 * Danish: en fugl i hånden er bedre end ti på taget
 * Dutch: beter een vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht
 * Esperanto: pli bona ol dek branĉoj sur centono
 * Estonian: parem varblane peos kui tuvi katusel
 * Finnish: parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla
 * French: a here-you-go is worth more than two you-can-have-it-laters, moineau à la main vaut mieux que grue qui vole a sparrow in hand is worth more than a flying crane
 * Friulian: l'è miôr un ûf vuê che une gjaline doman
 * Galician: vale máis paxaro na man que cento voando
 * Georgian: დღევანდელი კვერცხი ჯობია ხვალინდელ ქათამს
 * German: Besser ein Spatz in der Hand als eine Taube auf dem Dach
 * Greek: rather hold five in hand than wait for ten to come
 * Hebrew:
 * Hindi: नौ नक़द न तेरह उधार
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic: betri er einn fugl í hendi en tveir í skógi
 * Irish: is fearr breac sa láimh ná bradán sa linn, is fearr áirithe na srathrach ná iasacht na diallaite
 * Italian: meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani
 * Japanese: 明日の百より今日の五十 today's 50 rather than tomorrow's 100
 * Khmer: ចាបមួយនៅដៃប្រសើរក្រៃ ជាងចាបដប់នៅលើឈើ
 * Korean: 손안에 있는 새가 숲속에 있는 두 마리보다 낫다.
 * Latvian: labāk zīle, kas man ir rokā, nekā mednis, kas vēl sēd kokā, labāk zīle rokā, nekā mednis kokā rather the titmouse that is in my hand than a wood grouse that is still sitting in the tree/ rather a titmouse in hand than a wood grouse in a tree
 * Lithuanian:
 * Lombard: l'è mej un üsèll in man che cent che vola
 * Luxembourgish: Léiwer e Spatz an der Hand wei eng Dauf um Daach
 * Macedonian: поарно врапче на рака отколку гулаб на гранка, подобро врапче на рака отколку гулаб на гранка
 * Malay:
 * Jawi: يڠ کجر تق داڤت, يڠ دکيندوڠ برچيچيرن, هارڤکن ݢوروه د لاڠيت, اءير د تمڤاين دچورهکن
 * Rumi: yang kejar tak dapat, yang dikendong berciciran, harapkan guruh di langit, air di tempayan dicurahkan
 * Maltese: aħjar għasfur f'idejk minn mija fl-ajru
 * Mongolian:
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål:
 * Nynorsk: ein fugl i handa er betre enn ti på taket
 * Polish:, ,
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian: nu da vrabia din mână pe cioara de pe gard
 * Russian: do not promise a crane in the sky, rather give a titmouse into my hands
 * Scottish Gaelic: 's fhearr eun san làimh na deich air iteig, 's fhearr iasg beag na bhith gun iasg idir
 * Serbo-Croatian:
 * Cyrillic: боље врабац у руци него голуб на грани
 * Roman: bolje vrabac u ruci nego golub na grani
 * Slovak: lepší vrabec v hrsti ako holub na streche
 * Spanish: más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando a bird in one hand is worth more than a hundred in flight
 * Swedish:
 * Thai:
 * Turkish: bir eldeki kuş çalıdakinin iki misli değerdir
 * Ukrainian: краще синиця в жмені, ніж журавель в небі
 * Vietnamese: một con chim trong tay có giá trị hơn hai con trong bụi cây
 * Walloon:
 * Welsh: