1 He who handles tar is made unclean by it;
And he who has fellowship with a proud man shall be like him.
2 Do not burden yourself above your strength while you live;
And have no fellowship with one who is mightier and wealthier than yourself;
For how is the kettle and the earthen pot in agreement?
For if the one be struck against the other, it shall be broken.
3 The wealthy man has done wrong, and yet he threatens all;
The poor is wronged, and he must also plead.
4 If you profit him, he shall use you;
But if you have naught, he shall forsake you.
5 If you possess whatever, he shall live with you;
He shall also leave you naked, and shall not be sorry for it.
6 If he has need of you, he shall deceive you,
And smile at you, and have you in expectancy;
He shall speak smooth words to you, and say,
“What do you need?”
7 And he shall shame you with his delicacies,
Until he has drained you dry two or three times,
And in the end he shall mock you afterward.
When he sees you, he shall forsake you, and shake his head at you.
8 Beware that you are not deceived and brought down in your rejoicing.
9 If you are invited by a mighty man, withdraw yourself,
And he shall invite you so much more.
10 Do not push yourself on him, lest you be turned away;
Do not stand far off, lest you be forgotten.
11 Do not be eager to be equal to him in speech,
And do not believe his many words;
For with much talk he shall pursuade you,
And smiling at you shall draw out your secrets;
12 But cruelly he shall lay up your words, and not spare to do you harm,
And deliver you up.
13 Observe, and be on your guard,
For you walk in danger of being overthrown;
When you hear these, awake from your sleep.
14 Love 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 all your life,
And call upon Him for your deliverance.
15 Every beast loves its kind,
And every man loves his neighbour.
16 All flesh associates according to kind,
And a man shall cling to those like himself.
17 What fellowship has the wolf with the lamb?
So the sinner with the righteous.
18 What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog?
And what peace between the wealthy and the poor?
19 As the wild donkey is the lion’s prey in the wilderness;
So the wealthy eat up the poor.
20 As the proud hate humility;
So does the wealthy abhor the poor.
21 A wealthy man beginning to fall is supported by his friends;
But a poor man fallen is pushed away by his friends.
22 When a wealthy man is fallen, he has many helpers;
He speaks words not to be spoken, and yet men declare him right:
The poor man slips, and yet they also rebuke him;
He speaks wisely, but is not heeded.
23 When a wealthy man speaks, every man holds his tongue,
And look, what he says, they exalt it to the clouds;
But if the poor man speaks, they say, “What fellow is this?”
And if he stumbles, they shall help to overthrow him.
24 Wealth is good to he who has no sin,
And poverty is evil in the mouth of the wicked.
25 The heart of a man changes his face, whether it be for good or evil;
And a glad heart makes a good face.
26 A good face is a sign of a heart that is good;
And the searching out of parables is a wearisome labour of the mind.