⁵ Better an open reprimand
than concealed love.^(A)

⁶ The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,^(B)
but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.^(C)

⁹ Oil^(A) and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.^[a]

¹⁰ Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,^(B)
and don’t go to your brother’s house
in your time of calamity;
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.^(C)

¹⁴ If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.

¹⁷ Iron sharpens iron,
and one person sharpens another.^[a]