1. My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
2. then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
3. Therefore, my son, do what I say, and free yourself, for you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor. Run, hurry, awaken your friend.
4. Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
5. Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6. Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
7. For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
8. she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
9. How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
10. You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
11. and then destitution will meet with you, like a traveler, and poverty, like an armed man. Yet truly, if you would be diligent, then your harvest will arrive like a fountain, and destitution will flee far from you.
12. An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
13. he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.