16 yHear, O children, instruction concerning shamez y,

And be abashed aaccording to my judgementa.

(16)For not every kind of shame is meet to retain,

bAnd not every kind of abashment is to be approvedb.

17 cBe ashamed of a father and a mother of whoredom,

Of a prince and a rulercc of lies,

HB 18 dOf a master and a mistressd of deceit,

Of an assembly and a people of transgression,

Of a comrade and friend of treachery,

19 And of a place, where thou sojournest, of pridee.

ee[Be ashamed] to break an oath or a covenantee,

To stretch out thine elbow at meat,

fTo withholdg a gift that is asked forf,

21a (G) hTo turn away the faceh of thy friend,

21b (G) iTo cause the dividing of portions to ceasei,

20a (G) To be silent towards jhim that greeteth (thee)j,

20b (G) To look upon a woman that is a whore,

G 21c kTo gaze on a woman that hath a husband,

22a To be busy with his maidk l,

HB 22b (G) mAnd to violate her bedm,

22c (G) To [speak to] a friend with reproachful words;—

22d (G) And after giving a gift contemn not,—

42 1 nTo repeat othe word thou hast heardo,

And to lay bare any secret counsel:

So shalt thou be truly pshamefastp,

And find favour in the sight of all living.

qBut of these things be not ashamed,

And accept not persons runto sinr:

2 Of the Law of the Most High, and the statute;

And of justice, to do right by the wicked;

HB 3 Of reckoning with a comrade sand (fellow) travellers,

And of the division of an inheritance tand a propertyt;

4 uOf the small dustu of the scales and balance,

vAnd wof testingw measure and weighty;

4(b) Of buying whether little or much,

5 wwAnd of profit from traffick with the merchantww;

G xOf frequent correction of children,

And of smiting the side of an evil-disposed servantx.

HB 6 For an evil wife ya sealy,

And where zmanyz hands are, aa keya!

7 bUpon what is deposited make a markb,

And let giving and receiving all be in writing.—

8 Of the correction of the simple and foolish (be not ashamed),

cOr of the tottering grey-head occupied with whoredomc:

So shalt thou be truly well-advised,

And a man (truly) modest before all living.

(b) 42:9–14. The care of daughters

(= 4 + 2 + 2 + 2 distichs).

HB