Do not be haughty because of your knowledge
But take counsel with the unlearned man as well as with the learned,
For no one has ever attained perfection of competence,
And there is no craftsman who has acquired (full) mastery.
Good advice is rarer than emeralds,
But yet it may be found even among women at the grindstones.

Great is Ma'at [righteousness], and its foundation is firmly established;
It has not been shaken since the time of Osiris,
And he who violates the laws must be punished.
In the eyes of the covetous man it goes unnoticed
That wealth can be lost through dishonesty,
And that wrongdoing does not result in success.
He says, 'I will procure (wealth) for myself.'
He does not say, 'I will procure (wealth) through my diligence.'
But in the long run it is righteousness that endures,
And an (honest) man may state: 'This is my ancestral property.'

Do not stir up fear in people,
Or God will punish in equal measure.
A man may determine to live thereby,
But he will (eventually) be lacking in bread for his mouth.
A man may decide to become rich,
And he may say, 'I will snatch for myself whatever I see.'
A man may decide to cheat another,
But he will end up by giving (his gains) to a total stranger.
It is not what men devise that comes to pass,
But what God determines comes to pass.
Live, therefore, contentedly,
And let what one receives come of its own accord.

If you should be one of those sitting (as guests)
At the table of someone who is greater than you,
Accept what he serves when it is placed in front of you.
Look only at what is right in front of you,
And do not stare at him constantly,
For to force yourself upon him is an irritation to his spirit.
Do not speak to him until he invites you (to do so),
For one never knows what may be annoying.
You should speak only when he addresses you,
And (then) what you say will be of interest.

If you engage in agriculture, and (your) field prospers,
And God causes it to increase under your hand,
Do not talk (about it) incessantly around your neighborhood,
For it is important that one should practice the discretion appropriate to the prudent man.
It is the man of integrity who is the possessor of (true) wealth...

If you are humble and the servant of a well-to-do man,
Let all your behavior be flawless before God.
If you should learn that he was once of low estate,
Do not be disdainful toward him because you have learned about his past.
Respect him in accordance with what he has made of himself,
For wealth does not come of its own accord,
But it is the ordinance of the gods for one whom they favor.
As for his possessions, he has gathered them himself,
But it is God who has made him respectable
And watches over him even when he sleeps.

Follow your heart as long as you live,
And do not work beyond what is allocated (to you).
Do not subtract time from following the heart,
For wasting time is an annoyance of the spirit.
Do not lose the hours of daylight
Beyond (what is necessary for) keeping your household in order.
As things happen, follow (your) heart.
There is no profit in things if it is stifled.

If you are a man of excellence
And produce a son who pleases God
If he is upright and follows your disposition,
If he listens to your teachings,
If his conduct is worthy within your household,
And if he manages your property well,
Then do every good thing for him,
For he is your son, begotten of your very being;
Do not withhold your love from him.
But one's offspring may cause grief;
If he goes wrong and disregards your counsel,
If he does not do as you instruct him
But disobeys everything said (to him),
If his mouth prattles on with vile talk,
Then battle him in all his words.
Punish him for all his talk,
For he who has extended his arm against you is hateful to the gods.
Surely evil was fated for him from the womb,
For he whom the gods guide is one who cannot err,
And he whom they leave stranded is unable to cross the river.

If you are with the people,
Gain for yourself supporters who are trustworthy.
One who is trustworthy is one who will not spread talk around the community;
He will himself become an official
And a man of means due to his (good) performance.
As for your good reputation, you should not talk about it;
Provide for your body, but turn your attention toward the people,
And men will boast on your behalf without your being aware of it.
But as for him whose heart obeys his stomach,
He invites scorn for himself instead of respect.
His heart is morose and his body wretched.
Great of heart are those whom God has established,
But he who listens to his stomach is his own worst enemy.

If you are a leader,
Take responsibility in the matters entrusted to you,
And you will accomplish things of note.
But think on the days that are still to come,
Lest some misdeed should arise to destroy your favorable position...

If you desire that friendship should endure
In a house that you enter
As a lord, as a brother, or as a friend:
In any place that you enter,
Avoid approaching the women,
For there is nothing good in any situation where such is done.
It is never prudent to become overly familiar with them,
For countless men have thus been diverted from their own best interests.
One may be deceived by an exquisite body,
But then it (suddenly) turns to misery.
(All it takes is) a trifling moment like a dream,
And one comes to destruction through having known them.
Pricking the jealousy of a rival is a nasty piece of business;
A man may perish because of so doing...

If you desire that your way of life be blameless,
Keep yourself far from every evil.
Guard yourself against the blemish of greediness,
For it is a grave affliction of an incurable disease,
And those who fall into it cannot recover.
It creates dissension among fathers, mothers,
And maternal brothers;
It embitters beloved friends;
It alienates a trustworthy man from his lord;
It isolates a wife from her husband.
It is an embracing of every evil;
It is a combining of everything that is hateful.
That man will endure who is meticulous in uprightness
And who walks in accordance with his proper station;
He will make a testament thereby...

Do not be selfish with respect to your relatives,
For greater is the claim of the good-natured man than that of the assertive.
He who forsakes his relatives is (truly) poor,
For he lacks the compassion to respond to their entreaties.
Even a little of what one yearns for can calm a distressed man.
If you are well-to-do and establish your household,
Be gracious to your wife in accordance with what is fair.
Feed her well, put clothes on her back;
Ointment is the balm for her body.
Rejoice her heart all the days of your life,
For she is a profitable field for her lord.
Do not condemn her,
But keep her far away from power; control her,
For her eye is quick and sharp.
Watch her (carefully), for thus you will cause her to remain long in your house.
If you are too strict with her, there will be tears.
Open your arms for her, respond to her arms;
Call her, display to her your love.

Gratify your friends with what has come into your possession,
For what has come to you is a boon from God.
As for him who fails to gratify his friends,
People will say that he is a selfish man.
No one knows what will come to pass when he considers tomorrow,
And the righteous man is he by whom men are sustained.
If deeds deserving of praise are done,
One's friends say, 'Well done!'
One cannot bring satisfaction to an (entire) town,
But one can bring happiness (to) friends when there is need.

Do not repeat slander,
And do not listen to it,
For it is but the prattling of a churlish man.
Repeat only what is seen, not what is heard,
Or forget it and say nothing at all...
Slander is like a nightmare
See what is the remedy - concealment.

If you are a man of trust,
One who sits in the council of his lord,
Direct your attention toward excellence.
Your silence will be more profitable than babbling,
So speak only when you know that you are qualified (to do so).
It is (only) the proficient who should speak in council,
For speech is more difficult than any craft,
And only the competent can endow it with authority.

If you are influential, you should establish respect for yourself
Through knowledge and through courtesy in speech.
Do not be domineering except in official matters,
For the aggressive man meets with trouble.
Do not be arrogant, lest you be brought low;
Do not be silent, but yet be cautious of causing offence...
Speak without heat, assume a serious countenance, and control yourself,
For the flames of the quick-tempered spread quickly;
But the affable man, when offended, treads carefully.
One who is dour throughout the whole day
Will never have a happy moment,
And he who is frivolous throughout the whole day
Will never establish a household for himself...
But he who obeys his heart will keep (everything) in order.

Disturb not a great man;
Do not irritate one who is laden (with responsibility),
For it may happen that he will be annoyed at the one who opposes him,
While his mood will be lightened by one who is loyal to him.
He and the god are the ones who bestow favors,
And what he wishes is what should be done for him.
His face will be kindly toward you even after anger,
And (your) well-being depends upon his mood.
There is hostility with an enemy,
But it is good will that increases favor.

Inform an official of what is beneficial to him,
And see to it that he is accepted by the people.
Cause his wisdom to be recognized by his lord,
And there will be abundance for you from his generosity.
A person of good disposition is for your good,
For your back will be clothed by it.
His approval will be upon you for the support of your household...
Support him thus, and he will also provide excellent support for you.
Moreover, affection for you will endure in the hearts of those who respect you.
Behold, he who is gracious to listen is highly esteemed.

Bow respectfully to him who is superior to you,
Your senior from the royal palace;
Then your household will be firm in its possessions,
And your rewards (will come) at their proper time.
But wretched is he who opposes a superior,
For one enjoys life (only) during the time when he is kindly disposed,
And the arm bared to salute him will not break.
Do not despoil the house of neighbors,
Do not steal the property of one who is close to you,
Lest he complain against you until you be brought to trial.
A plaintiff is lacking in compassion,
And if he learns of it, he will prosecute.
Wretched is he who stirs up adversity in his own neighborhood.

Do not fornicate with an effeminate boy.

Be generous as long as you live,
For what goes out from the storehouse does not go back in,
And men are eager for bread that is freely given.
He whose stomach is empty is an accuser,
And (such) an opponent becomes a bringer of woe;
Do not make of him a friend.
Compassion is a man's monument
Throughout the years that follow his tenure of office.

Know those who are faithful to you when you are in low estate.
Acknowledge your assistants when you have wealth,
And do not be of mean disposition toward your friends.
Such is (like) a riverbank that floods; it is greater than one's wealth.
The property of one man may (pass) to another,
But the integrity of a gentleman is always beneficial to him,
And a good character will be his monument.

Punish soundly and reprimand thoroughly,
For the restraint of evil will reinforce morality.

If you give heed to these things I have spoken to you,
All your affairs will be successful.
If their truth is effected, this will be (proof of) their worth,
And the remembrance of them will continue on in the speech of men
Because of the goodness of their precepts.
Men will cling to every word,
And they will never perish in this land for ever.
They have been recorded and spoken for good,
And noblemen will utter decrees in accordance with them.
This (treatise) is a means of teaching a man to speak to posterity.
Let him who would be a recognized authority give heed to it.
It is good to speak to posterity,
And it is the duty of posterity to give heed to it.
If a noble action is done by one who is in authority,
He will be of good reputation for ever,
And all his wisdom will be for everlasting.
The learned man takes care for his soul
By assuring that it will be content with him on earth.
The learned man can be recognized by what he has learned,
And the nobleman by his good actions;
His heart controls his tongue,
And precise are his lips when he speaks.
His eyes see,
And his ears are pleased through hearing of the repute of his son
Who does what is right and who is free from falsehood.

How good it is that a son should accept what his father says,
For ripe old age will come upon him thereby.
He who listens is favored of God,
But he who is hated of God does not listen.
It is the heart that causes its possessor to be
One who hears or who does not hear.
The 'life, prosperity, and health' of a man are his heart.
A hearer is one who gives heed to what is said,
And he who is willing to listen is one who does what has been said.
How good it is when a son heeds his father,
And how joyful is he by whom it may be said:
'My son is pleasing, for he is skilled in obedience.'
As for him who heeds what is said to him, he will be self-sufficient
And respected by his father;
He will be remembered in the mouths of the living,
Both those who are on the earth and those who will be.

If a nobleman takes to heart what is said by his father,
Never will fail any endeavor of his.
Educate your son as a listener,
One who will be esteemed in the hearts of the nobles,
One who guides his speech in accordance with what is said to him,
One who acknowledges him who is to be obeyed.
It is such a son who is superior and whose actions are distinguished,
But error is ingrained into him who does not listen.
The education of a wise man (leads) to his success,
But as for the fool, he will labor (in vain).

As for the fool unable to hear,
nothing can ever be done for him.
He sees wisdom as ignorance,
and what is good as what is painful.
He does everything that is loathsome,
So that men are furious with him day after day
He lives on that which is mortal,
And the falsification of speech is his food and drink.
His disposition is known to the authorities;
(He is) a picture of living death day after day.

A son who listens is a (true) follower of God,
For his fortune is good because he has listened.
He will attain ripe old age and will be honored,
And he will speak likewise to his own children,
Handing on the instruction of his father,
For every man teaches according as he acts.
He will converse in the presence of (his) children,
And they in turn will speak to their children.
Build (their) character, do not instill (in them) anything offensive.
Strengthen righteousness, and your children will live.
As for the first one who succumbs to evil,
Men will gossip about what they have seen,
For such is the way of the world;
And they will gossip about what they hear,
For such also is the way of the world.
Take heed of everyone, and try to keep people quiet;
Wealth does not amount to much otherwise.
Do not say something and then go back on it;
Do not put one thing in the place of another.
Beware of relaxing self-restraint;
Give way to the speech of a wise man,
And listen well, if you wish to be secure
In the speech of those who hear when you speak.
(First) attain to the status of an expert,
And then you will be able to speak with complete success,
And your every undertaking will be in order.

Suppress your impulses and control your mouth
And then your advice will be (welcomed) by the officials.
Behave so that men may say...'Fortunate is he who begat him.'
Be careful all the time that you are speaking,
So that you may say things of importance.
Then the officials who are listening will say:
'How excellent are the words of his mouth!'

Behave so that [people] may say of you,
'How well he was brought up by his father
By whom he was begotten of his body.
Truly, a good son is one of the gifts of God,
A son who does even better than he has been told to do.
He acts in accordance with Ma'at,
Putting himself with all his heart on the path of righteousness.