⁵ A truly good friend
    will openly correct you.
⁶ You can trust a friend
    who corrects you,
but kisses from an enemy
    are nothing but lies.
⁷ If you have had enough to eat,
    honey doesn't taste good,
but if you are really hungry,
    you will eat anything.

⁸ When you are far from home,
you feel like a bird
    without a nest.
⁹ The sweet smell of incense
    can make you feel good,
but true friendship
    is better still.^[a]
10 Don't desert an old friend
    of your family
or visit your relatives
    when you are in trouble.
A friend nearby is better
    than relatives far away.

¹¹ My child, show good sense!
    Then I will be happy
and able to answer anyone
    who criticizes me.
¹² Be cautious and hide
    when you see danger—
don't be stupid and walk
    right into trouble.
¹³ You deserve to lose your coat
    if you loan it to someone
to guarantee payment
    for the debt of a stranger.
¹⁴ A loud greeting
early in the morning
    is the same as a curse.
¹⁵ The steady dripping of rain
and the nagging of a wife
    are one and the same.
¹⁶ It's easier to catch the wind
or hold olive oil in your hand
    than to stop a nagging wife.

¹⁷ Just as iron sharpens iron,
friends sharpen the minds
    of each other.
¹⁸ Take care of a tree,
    and you will eat its fruit;
look after your master,
    and you will be praised.
¹⁹ You see your face in a mirror
and your thoughts
    in the minds of others.
²⁰ Death and the grave
are never satisfied,
    and neither are humans.
²¹ Gold and silver are tested
in a red-hot furnace,
    but we are tested by praise.
²² No matter how hard
    you beat a fool,
you can't pound out
    the foolishness.

²³ You should take good care
    of your sheep and goats,
²⁴ because wealth and honor
    don't last forever.
²⁵ After the hay is cut
and the new growth appears
    and the harvest is over,
²⁶ you can sell lambs and goats
    to buy clothes and land.
²⁷ From the milk of the goats,
    you can make enough cheese
to feed your family
    and all your servants.