^17 (A)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁹ A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

²⁴ A man who has friends ^[a]must himself be friendly,
^(A)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

⁸ He who gets ^[a]wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding ^(A)will find good.

^28 (A)Mercy and truth preserve the king,
And by ^[a]lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

^21 (A)He who follows righteousness and mercy
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

^5 (A)Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are ^(B)deceitful.

⁹ Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by ^[a]hearty counsel.

¹⁰ Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
^(A)Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

³ Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice,
But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.