8. Don’t let me tell lies. And don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day.
9. If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.
10. Never say bad things about a slave to his master. If you do, he will curse you, and you will suffer for it.
11. Some people curse their fathers and refuse to bless their mothers.
12. Some people think they are pure, but they have done nothing to remove the filth of their sin.
13. Some people are so proud of themselves, and they look down on everyone else.
14. There are people whose teeth are like swords and their jaws like knives. They take everything they can from the poor.
15. Greedy people know only two things: “Give me,” and “Give me.” There are three other things that are never satisfied—really, four things that never have enough:
16. the place of death, a woman with no children, dry ground that needs rain, and a fire that will never stop by itself.
17. People who make fun of their father or refuse to obey their mother should have their eyes plucked out by wild birds and be eaten by vultures.
18. There are three things that are hard for me to understand—really, four things that I don’t understand:
19. an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship moving across the ocean, and a man in love with a woman.
20. A woman who is not faithful to her husband acts innocent. She eats, wipes her mouth, and says she has done nothing wrong.