19. the way of an eagle in the sky,the way of a serpent on a rock,the way of a ship on the high seas,and the way of a man with a virgin.
20. This is the way of an adulteress:she eats and wipes her mouthand says, “I have done no wrong.”
21. Under three things the earth trembles;under four it cannot bear up:
22. a slave when he becomes king,and a fool when he is filled with food;
23. an unloved woman when she gets a husband,and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
24. Four things on earth are small,but they are exceedingly wise:
25. the ants are a people not strong,yet they provide their food in the summer;
26. the rock badgers are a people not mighty,yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27. the locusts have no king,yet all of them march in rank;
28. the lizard you can take in your hands,yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29. Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride:
30. the lion, which is mightiest among beastsand does not turn back before any;
31. the strutting rooster, the he-goat,and a king whose army is with him.
32. If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.