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I
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1 01) Beginning of the teaching for life,
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02) The instructions for well-being,
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03) Every rule for relations with elders,
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04) For conduct toward magistrates;
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5 05) Knowing how to answer one who speaks,
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06) To reply to one who sends a message,
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07) So as to direct him on the paths of life,
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08) To make him prosper upon earth,
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09) To let his heart enter its shrine,
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10 10) Steering clear of evil,
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11) To save him from the mouth of strangers,
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12) To let (him) be praised in the mouth of people.
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13) Made by the overseer of fields, experienced in his office,
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14) The offspring of a scribe of Egypt,
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15 15) The overseer of grains, who controls the measure,
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16) Who sets the harvest-dues for his lord,
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17) Who registers the islands of new land,
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18) In the great name of his majesty,
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19) Who records the markers on the borders of fields,
II
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1 20) Who acts for the king in his listing of taxes,
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21) Who makes the land-register of Egypt.
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22) The scribe who determines the offerings for all the gods,
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23) Who gives land-leases to the people,
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5 24) The overseer of grains, [provider of] foods,
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25) Who supplies the granary with grains;
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26) The truly silent in This of Ta-wer,
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27) The justified in Ipu,
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28) Who owns a tomb on the west of Senu,
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10 29) Who has a chapel at Abydos,
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30) Amenemope, the son of Kanakht,
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31) The justified in Ta-wer.
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32) (For) his son, the youngest of his children,
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33) The smallest of his family,
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15 34) The devotee of Min-Kamutef,
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35) The water-pourer of Wennofer,
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36) Who places Horus on his father's throne,
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37) Who guards him in his noble shrine,
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38) Who ------
III
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1 39) The guardian of the mother of god,
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40) Inspector of the black cattle of the terrace of Min,
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41) Who protects Min in his shrine:
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42) Hor-em-maakher is his true name,
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5 43) Child of a nobleman of Ipu,
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44) Son of the sistrum-player of Shu and Tefnut,
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45) And chief songstress of Horus, Tawosre.
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46) He says: Chapter 1
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01) Give your ears, hear the sayings,
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10 02) Give your heart to understand them;
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03) It profits to put them in your heart,
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04) Woe to him who neglects them!
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05) Let them rest in the casket of your belly,
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06) May they be bolted in your heart,
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15 07) When there rises a whirlwind of words,
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08) They'll be a mooring-post for your tongue.
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09) If you make your life with these things in your heart,
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10) You will find it a success;
IV
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1 11) You will find my words a storehouse for life,
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12) Your being will prosper upon earth.
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13) Chapter 2
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01) Beware of robbing a wretch,
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5 02) Of attacking a cripple;
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03) Don't stretch out your hand to touch an old man,
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04) Nor [open your mouth] to an elder.
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05) Don't let yourself be sent on a mischievous errand,
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06) Nor be friends with him who does it.
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10 07) Don't raise an outcry against one who attacks you,
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08) Nor answer him yourself.
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09) He who does evil, the shore rejects him,
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10) Its floodwater carries him away.
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11) The northwind descends to end his hour,
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15 12) It mingles with the thunderstorm.
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13) The storm cloud is tall, the crocodiles are vicious,
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14) You heated man, how are you now?
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15) He cries out, his voice reaches heaven,
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16) It is the Moon who declares his crime.
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1 17) Steer, we will ferry the wicked,
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18) We do not act like his kind;
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19) Lift him up, give him your hand,
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20) Leave him in the hands of the god;
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5 21) Fill his belly with bread of your own,
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22) That he be sated and weep.
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23) Another thing good in the heart of the god:
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24) To pause before speaking.
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25) Chapter 3
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10 01) Don't start a quarrel with a hot-mouthed man,
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02) Nor needle him with words.
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03) Pause before a foe, bend before an attacker,
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04) Sleep (on it) before speaking.
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05) A storm that bursts like fire in straw,
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15 06) Such is the heated man in his hour.
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07) Withdraw from him, leave him alone,
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08) The god knows how to answer him.
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09) If you make your life with these (words) in your heart,
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10) Your children will observe them.
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11) Chapter 4
VI
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1 01) As for the heated man in the temple,
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02) He is like a tree growing [indoors];
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03) A moment lasts its growth of [shoots],
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04) Its end comes about in the [woodshed]
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5 05) It is floated far from its place,
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06) The flame is its burial shroud.
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07) The truly silent, who keeps apart,
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08) He is like a tree grown in a meadow.
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09) It greens, it doubles its yield,
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10 10) It stands in front of its lord.
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11) Its fruit is sweet, its shade delightful,
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12) Its end comes in the garden.
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13) Chapter 5
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01) Do not falsify the temple rations.
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15 02) Do not grasp and you'll find profit.
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03) Do not remove a servant of the god,
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04) So as to do favors to another.
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05) Do not say: "Today is like tomorrow."
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06) How will this end?
VII
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1 07) Comes tomorrow, today has vanished,
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08) The deep has become the water's edge.
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09) Crocodiles are bared, hippopotami stranded,
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10) The fish crowded together.
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5 11) Jackals are sated, birds are in feast,
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12) The fishnets have been drained.
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13) But all the silent in the temple,
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14) They say: "Re's blessing is great."
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15) Cling to the silent, then you find life,
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10 16) Your being will prosper upon earth.
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17) Chapter 6
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01) Do not move the markers on the borders of fields,
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02) Nor shift the position of the measuring-cord.
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03) Do not be greedy for a cubit of land,
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15 04) Nor encroach on the boundaries of a widow.
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05) The trodden furrow worn down by time,
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06) He who disguises it in the fields,
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07) When he has snared (it) by false oaths,
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08) He will be caught by the might of the Moon.
VIII
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1 09) Recognize him who does this on earth:
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10) He is an oppressor of the weak,
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11) A foe bent on destroying your being,
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12) The taking of life is in his eye.
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5 13) His house is an enemy to the town,
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14) His storage bins will be destroyed;
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15) His wealth will be seized from his children's hands,
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16) His possessions will be given to another.
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17) Beware of destroying the borders of fields,
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10 18) Lest a terror carry you away;
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19) One pleases god with the might of the lord,
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20) When one discerns the borders of fields.
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21) Desire your being to be sound,
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22) Beware of the Lord of All;
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15 23) Do not erase another's furrow,
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24) It profits you to keep it sound.
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25) Plow your fields and you will find what you need,
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26) You'll receive bread from your threshing-floor.
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27) Better is a bushel given you by the god,
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20 28) Than five thousand through wrongdoing.
IX
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1 29) They stay not a day in bin and barn,
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30) They make no food for the beer jar;
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31) A moment is their stay in the granary,
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32) Comes morning, they have vanished.
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5 33) Better is poverty in the hand of the god,
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34) Than wealth in the storehouse;
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35) Better is bread with a happy heart
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36) Than wealth with vexation.
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37) Chapter 7
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10 01) Do not set your heart on wealth,
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02) There is no ignoring Fate and Destiny;
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03) Do not let your heart go straying,
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04) Every man comes to his hour.
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05) Do not strain to seek increase,
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15 06) What you have, let it suffice you.
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07) If riches come to you by theft,
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08) They will not stay the night with you.
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09) Comes day they are not in your house,
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10) Their place is seen but they are not there;
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20 11) Earth opened its mouth, leveled them, swallowed them,
X
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1 12) And made them sink into the Duat.
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13) They made a hole as big as their size,
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14) And sank into the netherworld;
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15) They made themselves wings like geese,
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5 16) And flew away to the sky.
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17) Do not rejoice in wealth from theft,
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18) Nor complain of being poor.
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19) If the leading archer presses forward,
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20) His company abandons him;
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10 21) The boat of the greedy is left (in) the mud,
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22) While the bark of the silent sails with the wind.
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23) You shall pray to the Aten when he rises,
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24) Saying: 'Grant me well-being and health';
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25) He will give you your needs for this life,
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15 26) And you will be safe from fear.
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27) Chapter 8
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01) Set your goodness before people,
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02) Then you are greeted by all.
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03) One welcomes the Uraeus.
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20 04) One spits upon Apopis.
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05) Guard your tongue from harmful speech,
XI
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1 06) Then you will be loved by others.
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07) You will find your place in the house of god,
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08) You will share in the offerings of your lord.
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09) When you are revered and your coffin conceals you,
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5 10) You will be safe from the power of god.
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11) Do not shout "crime" against a man,
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12) When the cause of (his) flight is hidden.
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13) Whether you hear something good or evil,
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14) Do it outside where it is not heard.
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10 15) Put the good remark on your tongue,
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16) While the bad is concealed in your belly.
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17) Chapter 9
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01) Do not befriend the heated man,
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02) Nor approach him for conversation.
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15 03) Keep your tongue from answering your superior,
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04) And take care not to insult him.
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05) Let him not cast his speech to catch you,
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06) Nor give free rein to your answer.
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07) Converse with a man of your own measure,
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20 08) And take care not to [offend] him.
XII
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1 09) Swift is speech of one who is angered,
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10) More than wind [over] water.
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11) He tears down, he builds up with his tongue,
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12) When he makes his hurtful speech.
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5 13) He gives an answer worthy of a beating,
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14) For its weight is harm.
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15) He hauls freight like all the world,
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16) But his load is falsehood.
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17) He is the ferryman of snaring words,
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10 18) He goes and comes with quarrels.
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19) When he eats and drinks inside,
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20) His answer is (heard) outside.
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21) The day he is charged with his crime,
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22) Is misfortune for his children.
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15 23) If only Khnum came to him,
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24) The Potter to the heated man,
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25) So as to knead [faulty] heart.
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26) He is like a young wolf in the farmyard,
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27) He turns one eye against the other,
XIII
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1 28) He causes brothers to quarrel.
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29) He runs before every wind like clouds,
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30) He dims the radiance of the Sun;
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31) He flips his tail like the crocodile's young,
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5 32) [He draws himself up so as to strike.]
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33) His lips are sweet, his tongue is bitter,
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34) A fire burns in his belly.
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35) Don't leap up to join such a one,
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36) Lest a terror carry you away.
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10 37) Chapter 10
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01) Don't force yourself to salute the heated man,
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02) For then you injure your own heart;
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03) Do not say "greetings" to him falsely,
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04) While there is terror in your belly.
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15 05) Do not speak falsely to a man,
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06) The god abhors it;
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07) Do not sever your heart from your tongue,
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08) That all your strivings may succeed.
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09) You will be weighty before the others,
XIV
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1 10) And secure in the hand of the god.
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11) God hates the falsifier of words,
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12) He greatly abhors the dissembler.
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13) Chapter 11
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5 01) Do not covet a poor man's goods,
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02) Nor hunger for his bread;
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03) A poor man's goods are a block in the throat,
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04) It makes the gullet vomit.
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05) He who makes gain by lying oaths,
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10 06) His heart is misled by his belly;
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07) Where there is fraud, success is feeble,
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08) The bad spoils the good.
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09) You will be guilty before your superior,
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10) And confused in your account;
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15 11) Your pleas will be answered by a curse,
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12) Your prostrations by a beating.
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13) The big mouthful of bread--you swallow, you vomit it,
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14) And you are emptied of your gain.
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15) Observe the overseer of the poor,
XV
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1 16) When the stick attains him;
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17) All his people are bound in chains,
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18) And he is led to the executioner.
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19) If you are released before your superior,
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5 20) You are yet hateful to your subordinates;
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21) Steer away from the poor man on the road,
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22) Look at him and keep clear of his goods.
