- 1
- Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.
- 2
- Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth;
one who is strange to you, and not your lips.
- 3
- A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing;
but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.
- 4
- Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream;
but who does not give way before envy?
- 5
- Better is open protest than love kept secret.
- 6
- The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.
- 7
- The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.
- 8
- Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.
- 9
- Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.
- 10
- Do not give up your friend and your father's friend;
and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.
- 11
- My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.
- 12
- The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.
- 13
- Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.
- 14
- He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.
- 15
- Like an unending dropping on a day of rain is a bitter-tongued woman.
- 16
- He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.
- 17
- Iron makes iron sharp;
so a man makes sharp his friend.
- 18
- Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit;
and the servant waiting on his master will be honoured.
- 19
- Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.
- 20
- The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.
- 21
- The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.
- 22
- Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.
- 23
- Take care to have knowledge about the condition of your flocks, looking well after your herds;
- 24
- For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.
- 25
- The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.
- 26
- The lambs are for your clothing, and the he-goats make the value of a field:
- 27
- There will be goats' milk enough for your food, and for the support of your servant-girls.
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