9. Perfume and incense make you feel good, and so does good advice from a friend.
10. Don’t forget your own friends or your father’s friends. If you have a problem, go to your neighbor for help. It is better to ask a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
11. My son, be wise. This will make me happy. Then I will be able to answer those who criticize me.
12. Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way, but fools go straight to the trouble and suffer for it.
13. When you make a deal with a stranger, get something from him and any other foreigners with him to make sure he will pay you.
14. Don’t wake up your neighbors early in the morning with a shout of “Good morning!” They will treat it like a curse, not a blessing.
15. A complaining wife is like water that never stops dripping on a rainy day.
16. Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold oil in your hand.
17. As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp.
18. People who take care of fig trees are allowed to eat the fruit. In the same way, people who take care of their masters will be rewarded.