שׁוֹפֵט עַם יוֹסֵד עַמּוֹ, וּמֶמְשֶׁלֶת מֵבִין סְדוּרָה. The people's judge is a foundation to his people, and his dominion will understand its orders [rulings].
מֶלֶךְ פָּרוּעַ יַשְׁחִית עִיר, וְעִיר נוֹשֶׁבֶת בְּשֶׂכֶל שָׂרֶיהָ. An wild king will destroy the city, and a city is settled by the intelligence of its rulers.
כְּשׁוֹפֵט עַם כֵּן מְלִיצָיו, וּכְרֹאשׁ עִיר כֵּן יוֹשְׁבָיו. Like the judge of the people, so are his officers; and like the head of state, so are its inhabitants.
בְּיַד אֱלֹהִים מֶמְשֶׁלֶת כָּל גֶּבֶר, וְלִפְנֵי מְחוֹקֵק יָשִׁית הוֹדוֹ. In the Lord’s hand is a man’s success, and before the engraver [stele] will he set God's praise.
בְּיַד אֱלֹהִים מֶמְשֶׁלֶת תֵּבֵל, וְאִישׁ לְעֵת יַעֲמוֹד עָלֶיהָ. In the Lord’s hand is the governance of the realm, and a timely man will he raise to stand over it.
בְּכֵל פֶּשַע אַל תְּשַׁלֵּם רַע לְרֵע, וְאַל תִּהֲלַךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ גַּאֲוָה For every sin, do not repay evil to your neighbor, and walk not in the way of haughtiness.
שְׂנוּאָה לְאָדוֹן וַאֲנָשִׁים גַּאֲוָה, וּמִשְּׁנֵיהֶם מַעַל עֹשֶׁק. Hateful before the Lord and humans is pride, and unjustly offending both.
מַלְכוּת מִגּוֹי אֶל גּוֹי תִּסֹּב, בִּגְלַל חֲמַס גַּאֲוָה. Dominion is transferred from nation to nation on account of violence and haughtiness.
מַה יִּגְאֶה עָפָר וָאֵפֶר, אֲשֶׁר בְּחַיָּיו יוּרַם גִּוְיוֹ. With what does earth and ashes behave arrogantly? because in his life he erected his back [body]?
שֶׁמֶץ מַחֲלָה יַצְהִיב רוֹפֵא, מֶלֶךְ הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר יִפּוֹל. The terror of the ill makes a physician shine; Today a king, and tomorrow he falls. [Alternative (1): A long illness mocks the physician (2): A little illness reveals the skill of the healer (3): A whisper of illness makes a doctor happy.]
בְּמוֹת אָדָם יִנְחַל, רִמָּה וְתוֹלֵעָה כִּנִּים וָרֶמֶשׂ. When a person dies he inherits these: worms, maggots, lice and swarms.
תְּחִלַת גְּאוֹן אָדָם מוּעָז, וּמֵעֹשֶׂהוּ יָסוּר לִבּוֹ. The beginning of pride is to act impudently, and to those that made him he turns away his heart.
כִּי מִקְוֵה זָדוֹן חֵטְא, וּמְקוֹרָהּ יַבִּיעַ זִמָּה. For the pool of passion is sin, and its spring will pour out filth.
עַל כֵּן מִלֵּא לִבּוֹ אֱלֹהִים נָגַע, וַיַּכֵּהוּ עַד כַּלֵּה. Therefore the Lord brought upon him injury (leprosy), and smote him until destroyed.
כִּסֵּא גֵאִים הָפַך אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּשֶׁב עֲנָוִים תַּחְתָּם. Thrones of the haughty did the Lord overturn, and he seated the humble in their stead.
עִקְבוֹת גּוֹיִם טִמְטֵם אֱלֹהִים, וְשָׁרְשָׁם עַד אֶרֶץ קִעֲקָע. Footprints of the heathens did the Lord bury, and its roots to earths core did he exterminate.
וְסִחָם מֵאֶרֶץ וַיִּתְּשֵׁם, וַיַּשְׁבֵּת מֵאֶרֶץ זִכְרָם. And he scraped them from the earth and rooted them out, and erased their memorial from earth. [Ezekiel 26:4. Alternatively: "He rooted out their cartilage from the land" See M. Pesachim 7:11]
לֹא נָאוֶה לֶאֱנוֹשׁ זָדוֹן, וְעַזוּת, אַף - לִילוּד אִשָּׁה. Pride is not becoming of humans, nor impudence & anger to those born to women.
זֶרַע נִכְבָּד מַה זָּרַע לֶאֱנוֹשׂ, [זֶרַע נִכְבָּד יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים, זֶרַע נִכְבָּד שׂוֹמֵר מִצְוָה. What kind of offspring is honorable? A mans offspring. Offspring who fear the Lord. Honorable offspring keep the commandments.
זֶרַע נִקְלֶה מַה זָּרַע לֶאֱנוֹשׁ], זֶרַע נִקְלֶה עוֹבֵר מִצְוָה. What kind of offspring is dishonorable? A mans offspring. Dishonorable offspring who transgress the commandments.
בֵּין אַחִים רֹאשָׁם נִכְבָּד, וִירֵא אֱלֹהִים בְּעַמּוֹ. Amongst brothers [kin] their leader is honorable, and the fear the Lord is in his people.
גֵּר וְזָר נָכְרִי וָרָשׁ, תִּפְאֶרֶת יִרְאַת אֱלֹהִים Immigrant and stranger, foreigner and poor person— their boast is fear of the Lord.
אֵין לִבְזוֹת דַּל מַשְׁכִּיל, וְאֵין לְכַבֵּד עַוָּל אֲשֶׁר הוּרָם. Do no denigrate an intelligent poor person, and do not glorify a sinful man who has risen.
נָגִיד מוֹשֶׁל וְשׁוֹפֵט נִכְבָּדוּ, וְאֵין גָּדוֹל מִיְּרֵא אֱלֹהִים. A noble, ruler, judge shall be glorified, but nothing is greater than fearing the Lord.
עֶבֶד מַשְׂכּיל הוּרָם, וְעֶבֶד סָכָל לֹא יִתְאוֹנֵן. An intelligent servant shall rise, and a foolish servant will not complain.
אַל תּתְחַכַּם לַעֲבוֹד חֶפְצֶךָ, וְאַל תִּתְכַּבֵּד בְּמוֹעֵד צָרְכֶּךָ. Do not be shrewd to perform your desires, and do not extol yourself in your hour of difficulty.
טוֹב עוֹבֵד וְיוֹתֵר הוֹן, מִמִּתְכַּבֵּד וַחֲסַר מַתָּן. Superior is a person who toils and accumulates treasure, to one who is extolled but lacks allotment.
בְּנִי בַּעֲנָוָה כַּבֵּד נַפְשֶׁךָ, וְיִתֶּן לְךָ טַעַם וְכָבוֹד אָבַדְתָּ. Son, in humility give honor to your soul, and it will give you the taste and respect that you lost.
מַרְשִׁיעַ נַפְשׁוֹ מִי יַצְדִיקֶנּוּ, וּמִי יְכַבֵּד מַקְלֶה נַפְשׁוֹ. Him who errs against his own soul—who will vindicate? And who will give repute to him who devalues his own life?
יֵשׁ דַּל נִכְבָּד בִּגְלַל שִׂכְלוֹ, וְיֵש נִכְבָּד בִּגְלַל עָשְׁרוֹ. There is a poor person respected for his intelligence, and there are those respected because of his wealth.
נִכְבָּד בְּעָשְׁרוֹ אֵיכָכָה, וְנִקְלֶה בְּעָנְיוֹ אֵיכָכָה. A person respected in wealth, how thus [higher]? A man despised in poverty, how thus [lower]?
הַמִּתְכַּבֵּד בְּדַלּוּתוֹ, בְּעָשְׁרוֹ מִתְכַּבִּד יֹתֵר. He who is respected in poverty, in wealth he is further respected.
וְהַנִּקְלֶה בְּעָשְׁרוֹ, בְּדַלּוּתוֹ נִקְלֶה יוֹתֵר. And he who is held in disrepute in wealth, how much more also in poverty?