Foolishness Brings Grief

¹Lazy people are like filthy stones.

Everyone jeers at their disgrace.

²Lazy people are like a lump of dung;

everyone who picks it up will shake it from his hand.

³A father is disgraced by an undisciplined son,

and the birth of a daughter means loss.

⁴A sensible daughter is sure to find a husband,

but a shameful daughter is a grief to her father.

⁵A brazen daughter makes both her father and her husband ashamed,

and she is despised by both.

⁶Untimely speech is like music during a time of mourning,

but punishment and discipline are always wise.

⁹Teaching a fool is like gluing broken pottery back together

or like rousing a sleeper from deep slumber.

¹⁰Whoever tells a story to a fool

might as well be speaking to someone who is asleep.

At the end of the story, the fool will say, “What was that?”

¹¹Weep for the dead, for they left the light behind;

and weep for fools, for they have left intelligence behind.

Do not weep as much for the dead, for they are at rest.

But the life of the fool is worse than death.

¹²Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,

but for fools and the ungodly it lasts a lifetime.

¹³Do not talk much with a fool

or visit those who lack common sense.

Keep away from them, or you will have trouble

and be spattered when they shake themselves off.

Avoid such people, and you will find rest.

You will not be exhausted by their foolishness.

¹⁴What is heavier than lead?

The same one who is called “Fool.”

¹⁵Sand, salt, and a piece of iron

are less of a burden than a stupid person.

¹⁶A wooden beam firmly secured in the frame of a building

will not be loosed by an earthquake.

In the same way, a mind made up after thoughtful reflection

will not be shaken during a time of crisis.

¹⁷A mind solidified with intelligent thought

is like stucco decoration on a smooth wall.

¹⁸A fence set on a high place

will not stand against the force of the wind.

Likewise, a timid mind with the resolve of a fool

will not stand firm in the face of fear.

Preserving Friendships

¹⁹Prick an eye and tears will come;

prick the heart and feelings pour forth.

²⁰One who throws stones at birds scares them off,

and one who insults a friend destroys a friendship.

²¹But even if you have drawn a sword on a friend,

do not despair; there is a way back.

²²If you have said something to a friend,

don’t worry; you can still be reconciled.

Only insults, arrogance, disclosing of secrets,

or a treacherous blow will cause a friend to flee from you.

²³Gain your neighbors’ trust when they are poor

so that you may rejoice with them when they are prosperous.

In the time of trouble continue to be faithful to them

so that they may share with you when they receive an inheritance.

²⁴As fumes and smoke precede a fire in a furnace,

so also insults precede bloodshed.

²⁵I am not ashamed to give shelter to friends,

nor will I hide from them.

²⁶But if any harm should come to me because of them,

everyone who hears of it will watch out for them.

Guarding against Sin

²⁷Who will set up a guard over my mouth

and a tight seal on my lips

to keep them from becoming my downfall

and my tongue from destroying me?