Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. | Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. |
A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished. | A prudent person sees evil and hides himself; But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty. |
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As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. | As iron sharpens iron, So one person sharpens another. |
As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. | As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person. |