אַל תָּרִיב עִם אִישׁ גָּדוֹל, לָמָּה תִשּׁוֹם עַל יָדוֹ. Do not fight with a great man; Why become destitute by his hand.
אַל תָּרִיב עִם קָשֶׁה מִמְּךָ, לָמָּה תִפּוֹל בְּיָדוֹ. Do not fight with one harder than you; Why fall by his hand.
אַל תַּחֲרֹשׁ עַל אִישׁ לֹא הוֹן, פֶּן יִשְׁקֹל מְחִירְךָ וְאָבָדְתָּ. Do not ?plow? over a man without wealth; Perhaps he will weigh your money and you will lose.
כִּי רַבִּים הִפְחִיז זָהָב, וְהוּא יַשְׂגֶּה לֵב נְדִיבִים. For gold has made many reckless, and perverted [shin] the hearts of kings.
אַל תִּינָץ עִם אִישׁ לָשׁוֹן, וְאַל תִּתֵּן עַל אֵשׁ עֵץ. Do not quarrel with a man of tongues, and heap not wood upon his fire.
אַל תְּרַגִּיל אִישׁ אֱוִיל, פֶּן יָבוּז לִנְדִיבִים Be not accustomed with a foolish man, lest thy ancestors be disgraced.
אַל תַּכְלִים אִישׁ שָׁב מִפֶּשֶׁע, זְכֹר כִּי כֻּלָּנוּ חַיָּבִים. Do not humiliate a person returning from sin; remember we are all guilty.
אַל תְּבַיֵּשׁ אֱנוֹשׁ יָשִׁיש, זְכֹר כִּי תִמָּנֶה מִזְּקֵנִים. Do not be wicked to an old person; remember, we shall be reckoned old too.
אַל תִּתְהַלֵּל עַל גֹּוֵעַ, זְכֹר כֻּלָּנוּ נֶאֱסָפִים. Do not rejoice over a corpse; remember that we all gathered away.
אַל תִּטֹּשׁ שִׂיחַת חֲכָמִים, וּבְחִידֹתֵיהֶם הִתְרַפֵּשׂ. Do not forsake the rules of the wise, and tread not on their proverbs,
[וְאַף שִׂיחוֹת חוֹל מֵהֶם לֹא, תִבְזֶה] לְהִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי שָׂרִים, כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תִּלְמַד לֶקַח. [And even their mundane talk do not disparage,] for it will stand you before noblemen, and from you they will learn instruction.
אַל תִּמְאַס בִּשְׁמִיעַת שָׁבִים, אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ מֵאֲבֹתָם. Do not despise the discourse of the aged, of what they heard from their fathers,
כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תִּקַּח שֶׂכֶל, בְּעֵת צֹרֶךְ לְהַשִׁיב פִּתְגָּם. for from them thou shalt learn prudence, and in a time of need to respond proverbially. [Interpretation: folk ideas have hidden local knowledge and social truths that can be hard to parse at first.]
אַל תִּצְלַח בְּנַחֲלַת רָשָׁע, פֶּן תְּבֹעַר בִּשְׁבִיב אִשּׁוֹ. Do not prosper in the estate of evil, lest thou be burnt with the flame of his fire.
אַל תָּזוּחַ מִפְּנֵי לֵץ, לְהוֹשִׁיבוֹ כְּאוֹרֵב לְפָנֶיךָ. Do not be amiable with the scorner, lest he turn & ambush you. [Interpretation: if he is bad-mouthing others, in short time he will do so about you.]
אַל תַּלְוֶה אִישׁ חָזָק מִמְּךָ, וְאִם הִלְוִיתָ כִּמְאַבֵּד. Do not lend to a person more powerful than you, and if lent, deem it lost.
אַל תַּעֲרֹב יָתֵר מִמְּךָ, וְאִם עָרַבְתָּ כִּמְשַׁלֵּם. Be not surety above thy ability; if thou be surety, set it aside as if paid.
אַל תּשָּׁפֵט עִם שׁוֹפֵט, כִּי כִּרְצוֹנוֹ יִשְׁפֹּט. Do not to litigate with a judge; for they will judge him according to his favor.
אִם אַכְזָרִי אַל תֵּלֵךְ, פֶּן תַּכְבִּיד אֶת רָעָתֶךָ. With a heartless person do not travel, lest you burden your companion;
כִּי נֹכַח פָּנָיו יֵלֵךְ, וּבְאִוַּלְתּוֹ תִּסָּפֶה. And so he will travel straight ahead [rashly], and by his folly you will perish. [Interpretation: someone who is careless of others, will act without regard to your needs.]
עִם בַּעַל אַף אַל תָּעִיז מֵצַח, וְאַל תִּרְכַּב עִמּוֹ בַּדֶרֶךְ. With a hot-tempered person do not be brazen, and do not travel with him;
כִּי קַל בְּעֵינָיו דָּמִים, וּבְאֵין מַצִּיל יַשְׁחִיתֶךָ. Because bloodshed is light in his eyes, and where no rescuer, he'll waste you.
עִם פּוֹתֶה אַל תִּסְתַּיֵּד, כִּי לֹא יוּכַל לְכַסּוֹת סוֹדֶךָ. With a gullible one do not consult, for he cannot cover your secrets.
לִפְנֵי זָר אַל תַּעַש רָז, כִּי לֹא תֵדַע מַה יֵּלֶד סוֹפוֹ. In the presence of a stranger do not do something odd [secret; council], for you do not know the consequences. [Interpretation: people may misconstrue different behavior and report as something it is not.]
לְכָל בָּשָׂר אַל תְּגַל לִבֶּךָ, וְאַל תַּדִּיחַ מֵעָלֶיךָ הַטּוֹבָה. Not with all men should one rejoice, and do not rinse [push-off] from yourself the [their] good. [Interpretation: don't be rejoiceful with everyone, for they may resent you; also, when someone does something good to you, acknowledge it gracefully, even if unwanted, so not to embarrass them.]