CHAPTER 9
1 Love thou not jealously the woman of thy bosom [or Be thou not jealous to the woman of thy bosom]; lest she show on thee the malice of evil doctrine.
2 Give thou not to a woman the power of (or over) thy soul; lest she enter in thy virtue, and thou be shamed [or confounded].
3 Behold thou not a woman of many wills (or desires), that coveteth now this man, now that man; lest peradventure thou fall into the snares of her.
4 Be thou not customable with a danceress, neither hire thou her; lest peradventure thou perish in the speedy work of her.
5 Behold thou not a virgin [or a maiden]; lest peradventure thou be caused to stumble in (or by) the fairness of her.
6 Give thou not thy soul to whores in anything; lest thou lose thee, and thy soul, and thine heritage, (or lest thou destroy thyself, and thy soul, and thy inheritance).
7 Do not thou behold about in the lanes of the city; neither err thou (or wander) in the large streets thereof. [Do thou not behold about in the ways of the city; nor err thou about in the streets of it.]
8 Turn away thy face from a woman well-arrayed; and behold thou not about the fairness of another or of another man’s wife. Many men have perished for the fairness of a woman; and thereby covetousness [or lust] burneth on high as fire or burneth out as fire. Each woman which is an whore, either customable to fornication, shall be defouled as a fen, or a turd, in the way. Many men wondering on the fairness of an alien woman were made reprovable, for why the speech of her burneth on high as fire.
9 Sit thou not in any manner with an alien woman, neither rest thou with her on a bed [or nor lie thou with her upon the arm]; and jangle [or strive] thou not with her in wine, lest peradventure thine heart bow [or she bow down thine heart] into her, and thou fall [or slide] into perdition by thy blood.
10 Forsake thou not an eld [or old] friend; for a new friend shall not be like him. New wine is(like) a new friend; (after) it shall wax eld [or old], and (then) thou shalt drink it with sweetness.
11 Covet thou not the glory and riches of a sinner; for thou knowest not, what destroying of him shall come. [Love thou not the glory and riches of the sinner; forsooth thou knowest not, what be to come (of) the turning upside-down of him.]
12 The wrong of unjust [or unright-wise] men please not thee, and know thou that a wicked man [or the unpious] shall not please till to hells, [or unto hell], (or the grave).
13 Be thou far from a man that hath power to slay, that is, from a cruel tyrant, and thou shalt not have suspicion of the dread of death; and if thou nighest to him, do not thou do any trespass [or anything do amiss], lest peradventure he take away thy life. Know thou the communing of death; for thou shalt enter into the midst of snares, and thou shalt go on the armours, [or arms], (or weapons) of them that sorrow.
14 By thy virtue, keep thee (away) from thy neighbour that may speak against thee to a tyrant; and treat thou with wise men and prudent men.
15 Just [or Rightwise] men be guests, or meat-frères, (or meal companions) to thee; and thy glorying be in the dread of God.
16 And the thought of God be to thee in wit, that is, apply thy wit to think on God; and all thy telling-[out]be in the behests (or about the commands) of the Highest.
17 Works shall be praised in (or from) the hand of craftsmen, and the prince of the people in the wisdom of his word; forsooth in the wit of elder men [or of elders] a word shall be praised.
18 A man, a jangler, [or a tonguey man], is dreadful [or fearful] in his city; and a foolhardy man in his word shall be hateful.