22
1 A slothful man is compared to a stone that is defiled;
And every one will hiss him out in his disgrace.
2 A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill:
Every man that taketh it up will shake out his hand.
3 A father hath shame in having begotten an uninstructed son;
And a foolish daughter is born to his loss.
4 A prudent daughter shall inherit a husband of her own;
And she that bringeth shame is the grief of him that begat her.
5 She that is bold bringeth shame upon father and husband;
And she shall be despised of them both.
6 Unseasonable discourse is as music in mourning;
But stripes and correction are wisdom at every season.
7 He that teacheth a fool is as one that glueth a potsherd together;
Even as one that waketh a sleeper out of a deep sleep.
8 He that discourseth to a fool is as one discoursing to a man that slumbereth;
And at the end he will say, What is it? 9-10 *
11 Weep for the dead, for light hath failed him;
And weep for a fool, for understanding hath failed him:
Weep more sweetly for the dead, because he hath found rest;
But the life of the fool is worse than death.
12 Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead;
But for a fool and an ungodly man, all the days of his life.
13 Talk not much with a foolish man,
And go not to one that hath no understanding:
Beware of him, lest thou have trouble;
And so thou shalt not be † defiled in his onslaught:
Turn aside from him, and thou shalt find rest;
And so thou shalt not be wearied in his madness.
14 What shall be heavier than lead?
And what is the name thereof, but a fool?
15 Sand, and salt, and a mass of iron, is easier to bear,
Than a man without understanding.
16 Timber girt and bound into a building shall not be loosed with shaking:
So a heart established in due season on well advised counsel shall not be afraid.
17 A heart settled upon a thoughtful understanding
Is as an ornament of plaister on a polished wall.
18 Pales set on a high place will not stand against the wind:
So a fearful heart in the imagination of a fool will not stand against any fear.
19 He that pricketh the eye will make tears to fall;
And he that pricketh the heart maketh it to shew feeling.
20 Whoso casteth a stone at birds frayeth them away;
And he that upbraideth a friend will dissolve friendship.
21 If thou hast drawn a sword against a friend, despair not;
For there may be a returning.
22 If thou hast opened thy mouth against a friend, fear not;
For there may be a reconciling;
Except it be for upbraiding, and arrogance, and disclosing of a secret, and a treacherous blow:
For these things every friend will flee.
23 Gain trust with thy neighbour in his poverty,
That in his prosperity thou mayest have gladness:
Abide stedfast unto him in the time of his affliction,
That thou mayest be heir with him in his inheritance. ‡
24 Before fire is the vapour and smoke of a furnace;
So revilings before bloodshed.
25 I will not be ashamed to shelter a friend;
And I will not hide myself from his face:
26 And if any evil happen unto me because of him,
Every one that heareth it will beware of him.
27 Who shall set a watch over my mouth,
And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips,
That I fall not from it, and that my tongue destroy me not?
* 22:9-10 Verses 9 and 10 are omitted by the best authorities. † 22:13 Or, defiled: in his onslaught turn ‡ 22:23 The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.