If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.

And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,

And hast said, 'How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,

My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,

Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,

Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,

In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh with thee.

If thou hast been wise, thou hast been wise for thyself, And thou hast scorned -- thyself bearest it.

Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known the lips of knowledge.

If thou hast nothing to pay, Why doth he take thy bed from under thee?

Hast thou seen a man speedy in his business? Before kings he doth station himself, He stations not himself before obscure men!

And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man of appetite.

Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that are sweet.

And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.

Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,

So is the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.

Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field -- go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.

Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.

Honey thou hast found -- eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated with it, and hast vomited it.

Thou hast seen a man wise in his own eyes, More hope of a fool than of him!

Thou hast seen a man hasty in his words! More hope of a fool than of him.

Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.

If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil -- hand to mouth!

Many are the daughters who have done worthily, Thou hast gone up above them all.'