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18
1 A man who separates himself seeks his own ta'avah (desire);
he defies all tushiyyah (wisdom, sound judgment).
2 A kesil (fool) hath no delight in tevunah (understanding),
but only in airing out his lev (mind, opinions).
3 When the rashah cometh, then cometh also contempt,
and with dishonor, cherpah (reproach, disgrace).
4 The devarim of a manʼs mouth are deep mayim;
the makor chochmah is a flowing stream.
5 It is not tov to show partiality to the rashah,
to subvert the tzaddik in mishpat.
6 The sfatayim (lips) of a kesil enter into contention,
and his peh (mouth) inviteth blows.
7 The peh (mouth) of a kesil is his undoing,
and his sfatayim (lips) are the mokesh (snare) of his nefesh.
8 The devarim of a nirgan (gossip, talebearer, slanderer) are like mitlachamim (delicious tidbits),
and they go down into the innermost parts of the beten (belly).
9 He also that is slack in his work
is brother to him that is ba'al mashchit (master of destruction).
10 The Shem of Hashem is a strong migdal (tower),
the tzaddik runneth into it, and is safe.
11 The oisherʼs wealth is his strong city,
and is a high chomah in his own conceit.
12 Before shever (destruction) the lev ish is haughty,
and before kavod is anavah (humility).
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it,
it is folly and kelimmah (reproach, shame) unto him.
14 The ruach ish will sustain him in sickness,
but a crushed ruach who can bear?
15 The lev of the prudent acquireth da'as,
and the ozen of the chachamim seeketh da'as.
16 The mattan adam (gift of a man) openeth the way for him,
and bringeth him before gedolim.
17 He that is harishon (the first) to make his case seemeth tzaddik,
but his re'a cometh and doth cross-examine him.
18 The goral (lot) causeth contentions to cease,
and keepeth the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to be won
than a strong city,
and their contentious quarrelings are like the bars of an armon (citadel).
20 An ishʼs beten shall be filled with the fruit of his peh (mouth),
and with the produce of his sfatayim (lips) shall he be satisfied.
21 Mavet and chayyim are in the power of the lashon,
and they that love it shall eat the p'ri (fruit) thereof.
22 He who findeth an isha (wife) findeth tov,
and obtaineth ratzon (favor) from Hashem.
23 The poor useth entreaties,
but the oisher answereth roughly.
24 An ish of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is an ohev (friend) that sticketh closer than a brother.

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