| Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away. | Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. |
| The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. | A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. |
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| As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. | As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
| As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. | As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. |
