18 A man who separates himself seeks his own ta’avah (desire); he defies all tushiyyah (wisdom, sound judgment).

² A kesil (fool) hath no delight in tevunah (understanding), but only in airing out his lev (mind, opinions).

³ When the rashah cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with dishonor, cherpah (reproach, disgrace).

⁴ The devarim of a man’s mouth are deep mayim; the makor chochmah is a flowing stream.

⁵ It is not tov to show partiality to the rashah, to subvert the tzaddik in mishpat.

⁶ The sfatayim (lips) of a kesil enter into contention, and his peh (mouth) inviteth blows.

⁷ The peh (mouth) of a kesil is his undoing, and his sfatayim (lips) are the mokesh (snare) of his nefesh.

⁸ The devarim of a nirgan (gossip, talebearer, slanderer) are like mitlachamim (delicious tidbits), and they go down into the innermost parts of the beten (belly).

⁹ He also that is slack in his work is brother to him that is ba’al mashchit (master of destruction).

¹⁰ The Shem of Hashem is a strong migdal (tower), the tzaddik runneth into it, and is safe.

¹¹ The oisher’s wealth is his strong city, and is a high chomah in his own conceit.

¹² Before shever (destruction) the lev ish is haughty, and before kavod is anavah (humility).

¹³ He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and kelimmah (reproach, shame) unto him.

¹⁴ The ruach ish will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed ruach who can bear?

¹⁵ The lev of the prudent acquireth da’as, and the ozen of the chachamim seeketh da’as.

¹⁶ The mattan adam (gift of a man) openeth the way for him, and bringeth him before gedolim.

¹⁷ He that is harishon (the first) to make his case seemeth tzaddik, but his re’a cometh and doth cross-examine him.

¹⁸ The goral (lot) causeth contentions to cease, and keepeth the mighty apart.

¹⁹ A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentious quarrelings are like the bars of an armon (citadel).

²⁰ An ish’s beten shall be filled with the fruit of his peh (mouth), and with the produce of his sfatayim (lips) shall he be satisfied.

²¹ Mavet and chayyim are in the power of the lashon, and they that love it shall eat the p’ri (fruit) thereof.

²² He who findeth an isha (wife) findeth tov, and obtaineth ratzon (favor) from Hashem.

²³ The poor useth entreaties, but the oisher answereth roughly.

²⁴ An ish of many companions may come to ruin, but there is an ohev (friend) that sticketh closer than a brother.