⁵ Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.^(A)
6 Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
    but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

⁹ Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
    but the soul is torn by trouble.^[a]
10 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
    do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
    than kindred who are far away.^(A)

¹⁴ Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice,
    rising early in the morning,
    will be counted as cursing.

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