1If you do good, know for whom you do it, and there will be hope for your goodness.
2Do good to the righteous and you will find repayment; if not from him, then from Yahweh.
3No good comes to one who persists in evil, nor to one who has not done charity.
4For every good thing you do for him, you will receive double evil in your time of need.
5Do not give him bread, lest he overpower you with it.
6For God also hates evil men, and he will repay the wicked with vengeance.
7Give to the good and withhold from the evil; honor the humble and do not give to the arrogant.
8A friend is not recognized in prosperity, nor is an enemy hidden in adversity.
9In a man’s prosperity, even an enemy is a companion; but in his adversity, even a friend keeps his distance.
10Never trust an enemy, for his evil rusts like copper.
11Even if he is submissive and walks humbly, set your heart to be wary of him.
12Be to him like one who polishes a mirror, so he cannot find a way to ruin you, and you will know the final state of his rust.
13Do not set him next to you, lest he push you aside and stand in your place.
14Do not seat him at your right hand, lest he seek your own seat.
15Then at last you will understand my words, and you will sigh over my warning.
16Who pities a snake charmer when he is bitten, or any who go near a fanged beast?
17So it is with one who associates with an arrogant man and becomes entangled in his sins.
18He will not pass by until a fire burns in him.
19When he is with you, he will not reveal his true self.
20And if you fall, he will not exert himself to save you.
21He will not appear until your time of stumbling; if you totter, he will not support you.
22An enemy’s lips are sweet, but in his heart he plots deep pits.
23Though an enemy sheds tears with his eyes, if he finds an opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.
24If evil befalls you, he will be found there; pretending to support you, he will seek to trip your heel.
25He will shake his head and wave his hand; with much whispering, he will change his expression.
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