Laziness and Undisciplined Children

1 A lazy man is compared to a stone that is defiled. Everyone will hiss at him in his disgrace. 2 A lazy man is compared to the filth of a manure heap. Anyone who picks it up will shake it out of his hand. 3 An undisciplined child is a disgrace to his father, and a foolish daughter is born to his loss. 4 A prudent daughter will inherit a husband of her own. She who brings shame is the grief of her father. 5 She who is arrogant brings shame on father and husband. She will be despised by both of them. 6 Ill-timed conversation is like music in mourning, but whipping and correction are wisdom in every season.⁠a

The Burden of Foolishness

9 He who teaches a fool is like one who glues pieces of pottery together, or like one who wakes a sleeper out of a deep sleep.⁠b 10 He who teaches a fool is like someone teaching a sleeping man. In the end he will say, “What is it?” 11 Weep for the dead, for he lacks light. Weep for a fool, for he lacks understanding. Weep more gently for the dead, because he has found rest, but the life of the fool is worse than death. 12 Mourning for the dead lasts seven days, but for a fool and an ungodly man, it lasts all the days of his life. 13 Don’t talk much with a foolish man, and don’t go to one who has no understanding. Beware of him, so that you do not have trouble and be defiled in his onslaught. Turn away from him, and you will find rest, and you won’t be worn out by his madness. 14 What would be heavier than lead? What is its name, but “Fool”? 15 Sand, salt, and a mass of iron are easier to bear than a man without understanding.

16 Timber fastened and bound into a building will not be loosened by shaking. So a heart established at the right time on well-considered advice will not be afraid. 17 A heart settled on considered understanding is like an ornament of plaster on a polished wall. 18 Fences set on a high place will not stand against the wind, so a fearful heart guided by a fool’s imagination will not stand against any fear.

The Preservation of Friendship

19 He who pricks the eye will make tears fall. He who pricks the heart makes it show feeling. 20 Whoever throws a stone at birds scares them away. He who insults a friend will dissolve friendship. 21 If you have drawn a sword against a friend, don’t despair, for there may be a way back. 22 If you have opened your mouth against a friend, don’t be afraid, for there may be reconciliation, unless it is for insulting, arrogance, revealing a secret, or a treacherous blow, for these things any friend will flee.⁠c

23 Gain trust with your neighbor in his poverty, so that you may be glad in his prosperity. Stay steadfast to him in his time of distress, so that you may share his inheritance. 24 Vapor and smoke from a furnace come before fire. So insults come before bloodshed. 25 I won’t be ashamed to shelter a friend. I won’t hide from him.⁠d 26 If any evil happens to me because of him, everyone who hears it will beware of him.⁠e

A Prayer for Guarded Speech

27 Who will set a watch over my mouth, and a seal of shrewdness on my lips, so that I do not fall from it, and my tongue does not destroy me?