A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Meaning: It's better to have something certain now than to risk it for something uncertain in the future.

Example: “I'll take the job offer now; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

Origin: The idea goes back to the fable of the hawk and the nightingale, told by the Greek poet Hesiod and later counted among Aesop's: the hawk refuses to free the small bird in its claws for the promise of bigger prey. Early English versions vary the numbers — John Heywood's 1546 collection has "Better one bird in hand than ten in the wood" — and John Ray's collection of 1670 settles on two in the bush.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 6 more languages

French: Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras (literally: One 'here you go' is worth more than two 'you'll get it')
Spanish: Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando (literally: A bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flying)
Japanese: 明日の百より今日の五十 (Asu no hyaku yori kyō no gojū) (literally: Fifty today is better than a hundred tomorrow)
German: Der Spatz in der Hand ist besser als die Taube auf dem Dach (literally: The sparrow in the hand is better than the pigeon on the roof)
Italian: Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani (literally: Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow)
Portuguese: Mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois a voar (literally: A bird in the hand is worth more than two flying)
Dutch: Beter één vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht (literally: Better one bird in the hand than ten in the air)
Russian: Лучше синица в руках, чем журавль в небе (Luchshe sinitsa v rukakh, chem zhuravl' v nebe) (literally: Better a titmouse in the hands than a crane in the sky)
Polish: Lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu (literally: Better a sparrow in the fist than a pigeon on the roof)
Arabic: عصفور في اليد خير من عشرة على الشجرة (ʿUṣfūr fī l-yad khayr min ʿashara ʿalā sh-shajara) (literally: A sparrow in the hand is better than ten on the tree)
Turkish: Bugünkü tavuk yarınki kazdan iyidir (literally: Today's hen is better than tomorrow's goose)