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18:1  A man who separates himself seeks his own ta’avah (desire); he defies all tushiyyah (wisdom, sound judgment).
18:2  A kesil (fool) hath no delight in tevunah (understanding), but only in airing out his lev (mind, opinions).
18:3  When the rashah cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with dishonor, cherpah (reproach, disgrace).
18:4  The devarim of a man’s mouth are deep mayim; the makor chochmah is a flowing stream.
18:5  It is not tov to show partiality to the rashah, to subvert the tzaddik in mishpat.
18:6  The sfatayim (lips) of a kesil enter into contention, and his peh (mouth) inviteth blows.
18:7  The peh (mouth) of a kesil is his undoing, and his sfatayim (lips) are the mokesh (snare) of his nefesh.
18:8  The devarim of a nirgan (gossip, talebearer, slanderer) are like mitlachamim (delicious tidbits), and they go down into the innermost parts of the beten (belly).
18:9  He also that is slack in his work is brother to him that is ba’al mashchit (master of destruction).
18:10  The Shem of Hashem is a strong migdal (tower), the tzaddik runneth into it, and is safe.
18:11  The oisher’s wealth is his strong city, and is a high chomah in his own conceit.
18:12  Before shever (destruction) the lev ish is haughty, and before kavod is anavah (humility).
18:13  He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and kelimmah (reproach, shame) unto him.
18:14  The ruach ish will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed ruach who can bear?
18:15  The lev of the prudent acquireth da’as, and the ozen of the chachamim seeketh da’as.
18:16  The mattan adam (gift of a man) openeth the way for him, and bringeth him before gedolim.
18:17  He that is harishon (the first) to make his case seemeth tzaddik, but his re’a cometh and doth cross-examine him.
18:18  The goral (lot) causeth contentions to cease, and keepeth the mighty apart.
18:19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentious quarrelings are like the bars of an armon (citadel).
18:20  An ish’s beten shall be filled with the fruit of his peh (mouth), and with the produce of his sfatayim (lips) shall he be satisfied.
18:21  Mavet and chayyim are in the power of the lashon, and they that love it shall eat the p’ri (fruit) thereof.
18:22  He who findeth an isha (wife) findeth tov, and obtaineth ratzon (favor) from Hashem.
18:23  The poor useth entreaties, but the oisher answereth roughly.
18:24  An ish of many companions may come to ruin, but there is an ohev (friend) that sticketh closer than a brother.