⁷ Oppression turns the wise into fools;
    a bribe corrupts the heart.
⁸ The end of something is better than its beginning.
    Patience is better than arrogance.
⁹ Don’t be too quick to get angry
    because anger lives in the fool’s heart.
¹⁰ Don’t ask, “How is it that the former days were better than these?”
    because it isn’t wise to ask this.
¹¹ Wisdom is as good as^[a] an inheritance—
    an advantage for those who see the sun.
¹² Wisdom’s protection is like the protection of money;
    the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

10 As dead flies spoil the perfumer’s oil,
    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
² The mind of the wise tends toward the right,
    but the mind of the fool toward the left.
³ Fools lack all sense even when they walk down the street;
    they show everyone that they are fools.
⁴ If a ruler’s temper rises against you,
    don’t leave your post, because calmness alleviates great offenses.

⁸ Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
    and whoever breaks through a wall
    may be bitten by a snake.
⁹ Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
    whoever splits logs
    may be endangered by them.
¹⁰ If an ax is dull
    and one doesn’t sharpen it first,
    then one must exert more force.
It’s profitable to be skillful and wise.
¹¹ If a snake bites before it’s charmed,
    then there’s no profit
    for the snake charmer.
¹² Words from a wise person’s mouth are beneficial,
    but fools are devoured by their own lips.
¹³ Fools start out talking foolishness
    and end up speaking awful nonsense.
¹⁴ Fools talk too much!
    No one knows what will happen;
    no one can say what will happen in the future.
¹⁵ The hard work of fools tires them out
    because they don’t even know the way to town!
¹⁶ Too bad for you, land,
    whose king is a boy
    and whose princes feast in the morning.
¹⁷ Happy is the land
    whose king is dignified
    and whose princes feast at the right time for energy,
        not for drunkenness.
¹⁸ Through laziness, the roof sags;
    through idle hands, the house leaks.
¹⁹ Feasts are made for laughter,
    wine cheers the living,
    and money answers everything.^[a]