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 *Verses 9 and 10 are omitted by the best authorities.
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 †Or, defiled: in his onslaught turn 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. ‡The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
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.
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