¹ Whoever has a will to withdraw from a friend, seeks occasions; he shall be reproached at all times.

² The foolish do not accept words of prudence, unless you say what is already turning in his heart.

³ The impious, when he has arrived within the depths of sin, thinks little of it. But ill repute and disgrace follow him.

⁴ Words from the mouth of a man are deep waters. And the fountain of wisdom is a torrent overflowing.

⁵ It is not good to accept the character of the impious, so as to turn away from true judgment.

⁶ The lips of the foolish meddle in disputes. And his mouth provokes conflicts.

⁷ The mouth of the foolish is his destruction, and his own lips are the ruin of his soul.

⁸ The words of the double-tongued seem simple. And they reach even to the interior of the gut. Fear casts down the lazy, but the souls of the effeminate shall go hungry.

⁹ Whoever is dissolute and slack in his work is the brother of him who wastes his own works.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a very strong tower. The just one rushes to it, and he shall be exalted.

¹¹ The substance of the wealthy is the city of his strength, and it is like a strong wall encircling him.¹

1. 18:11A different Latin word is used in this verse, to describe the strength of riches, than is used in the previous verse to describe the strength of calling upon the name of the Lord. These are two different kinds of strength.(Conte)

¹² The heart of a man is exalted before it is crushed and humbled before it is glorified.¹

1. 18:12This verse applies to the contemplative way.(Conte)

¹³ Whoever responds before he listens, demonstrates himself to be foolish and deserving of confusion.

¹⁴ The spirit of a man sustains his weakness. Yet who can sustain a spirit that is easily angered?

¹⁵ A prudent heart shall possess knowledge. And the ear of the wise seeks doctrine.

¹⁶ A man’s gift expands his way and makes space for him before leaders.

¹⁷ The just is the first accuser of himself; his friend arrives and shall investigate him.

¹⁸ Casting a lot suppresses contentions and passes judgment, even among the powerful.

¹⁹ A brother who is helped by a brother is like a reinforced city, and judgments are like the bars of cities.

²⁰ From the fruit of a man’s mouth shall his belly be filled. And the harvest of his own lips shall satisfy him.¹

1. 18:20The word ‘harvest’ is a looser translation of ‘genimina,’ because the latter is clearly a continuation of the metaphor from earlier in the same verse. There is the fruit of a man’s mouth and the ‘genimina’ (spouts, shoots, vegetables, crops, produce, etc.). The translation of harvest makes the verse more comprehensible in English than any of the more literal translation choices.(Conte)

²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Whoever values it shall eat from its fruits.

²² He who has found a good wife has found goodness, and he shall draw contentment from the Lord. He who expels a good wife expels goodness. But he who holds on to an adulteress is foolish and impious.¹

1. 18:22He who has found a good wife has not merely found a good thing, he has found goodness itself, a reflection within his wife of God who is Goodness, and so he shall draw contentment from God himself.(Conte)

²³ The poor will speak with supplications. And the rich will express themselves roughly.

²⁴ A man amiable to society shall be more friendly than a brother.