Although fragments of it have been found elsewhere, this text is mostly contained in a single papyrus roll, which is named after the Dutch Egyptologist J.H. Insinger. The beginning of the scroll is missing.
The translation is taken from M. Lichtheim, "Late Egyptian Wisdom Literature in the International Context", chapter 4 ( archive.org ).
[ The Sixth Instruction ]
[2] Good food in its time and its . . .
Good sleep at the time of feebleness . . . because of it.
Weigh his wish with good nature ; do not . . . what he commands.
Do not eat to satiety of what you love at [the time when] he seeks it.
5 Do not outdo him in dress in the street, so that one looks [more at you than at him].
Do not pass . . . . . .
Do not wrong him in his days of life, for then you are headed [for] death.
Doing good to him who looks to it is better than gold and fine linen.
Do not forget the burial, do not be patient about the [honours] which the god has commanded.
10 Though the burial is in the hand of the god a wise man concerns himself with it.
The peace of the god for the man of god is his burial and his place of rest.
The renewal of life before the dying {or, the dead} is leaving his name on earth [behind] him.
[The] name and the burial and the time of feebleness . . .
[There is he] who employs his lifetime for the honour of his father . . .
15 [There is he] who [gets] blame through the cursing of his . . . character.
[He is not] merciful who is beneficent to a son.
Nor is he a sinner who lets hunger . . . nourished him.
Retaliation and . . . of the fool are caused by his determination .
The [good] fate of the good man is given him hy his own
heart.
20 The fate [and] the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. [Total]: 52.
The Seventh Instruction
[The teaching] to be measured in everything, so as to do nothing but what is [fitting].
. . . the wise man of character without a portion of . . .
. . . in the heart of the people [gives] protection and respect.
25 . . . listen without blame . . .
[3] Do not rage against him who reproves you because he reproves you in public.
Do not let yourself be called "the bad man" because of merciless evildoing.
Do not let yourself be called "the insolent one" because of ignorant shamelessness.
Do not let yourself be called "fool" because of your thoughtless gluttony.
5 Do not let yourself be called "who enjoys tormenting" because of brutality.
Do not let yourself be called "the prattler" because your tongue is everywhere.
Do not let yourself be called "idiot" because of silence when it is time to speak.
Do not let yourself be called "stupid" because of the weariness which your words cause.
Do not do what you desire with a woman by flattering her.
10 Do not speak arrogantly when counseling in public.
Do not be free in speaking when a superior listens to your word.
Do not show the way insultingly before one who is old.
Do not sit down before a dignitary.
Do not tie yourself to one [greater] than you and have your life ruined.
15 Do not go about much with the fiend for the sake of his name.
Do not consort with [a woman] who consorts with your superior.
If she is beautiful, keep yourself distant from her.
Do not forget him who is quick and him who is strong in his work.
In the hand of the wise man reward and the stick are measured.
20 Do not be concerned about vengeance; do what is before you.
Better the small deed of the quick than the large one of him who delays.
Do not make your weight heavy when your balance is weak.
The fool who is vengeful to the wretch is one who falls on the battlefield.
Do not hurry to fight a master whose stick is quick.
[4] [He who] is violent [like] the wind will founder in the storm.
Do not hasten to seek a quarrel with a ruler who has power.
He who thrusts his [chest] at the spear will be struck by it.
Do not speak of royalty and divinity with hostility when you are angry.
5 The foolish tongue of the stupid man is his knife for cutting off a lifetime.
Do not squander the little you have if there is no store-house behind you.
Do not eat the profit of something before the fate has given it.
Do not be greedy for wealth in a lifetime which you do not know.
The impious man leaves his savings at death and another takes them.
10 Do not by yourself adopt a custom that differs from .those of the land.
He who raves with the crowd is not called a fool.
Do not say "the chance is good" and forget the fate in it.
The impious man who is arrogant is harmed by his own heart.
The beam that is longer than its right measure, its excess is cut off.
15 The wind that is greater than its right measure wrecks the ships.
All things that are good through right measure, their owner does not offend.
The great god Thoth has set a balance in order to make right measure on earth by it.
He placed the heart hidden in the flesh for the right measure of its owner.
If a wise man is not balanced his wisdom does not avail.
20 A fool who does not know balance is not far from trouble.
If a fool is not balanced he cannot live off another.
Arrogance and pride are the ruin of their owner.
He who knows his own heart, the fate knows him.
[5] He who is gentle by virtue of his good character makes his own fate.
He who is wrathful about a fault is one whose death will be hard.
There is the man wise of heart whose manner of life is hard.
There is he who is satisfied by fate, there is he who is satisfied by his wisdom.
5 He is not a man wise in character who lives by it.
He is not a fool as such whose life is hard.
The god lays the heart on the scales opposite the weight.
He knows the impious man and the man of god by his heart.
There is curse or blessing in the character that was given him..
10 The commands that the god has commanded to those who are good are in the character.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 62.
The Eighth Instruction. Do not be a glutton, lest you associate with poverty.
The fool who does not control himself will be in want through gluttony.
The fool who wields power, what happens to him is bad.
15 It is the god who gives wealth, it is a wise man who guards it .
The virtue of a wise man is to gather without greed.
The great praise of a wise man is self-control in his manner of life.
The fool is in bad odour in the street because of gluttony.
It is not only in one way that he becomes miserable.
20 There is he who cannot eat yet in his heart desires much food.
There is he who is feeble from yesterday yet has a craving for wine.
[There is] he who dislikes intercourse yet spends his surplus on women.
[There is] he who goes to his death in crime on account of gluttony.
[6] The evil that befalls the fool, his belly and his phallus bring it.
[One] hunts on the river after the god {i.e., the crocodile} because of his frightfulness.
Death [comes] to the snake because of its love of biting.
The first to be sated among the cattle is the one suitable for slaughter.
5 [One catches] the bird that flies to the fish in order to fill its belly.
The pigeon brings harm on its young because of its belly.
The swallow comes to grief for its little food.
The life that controls excess is a life according to the wise man's heart.
Vegetables with natron are the best food that can be found.
10 Wealth and saving are the equal of work .
Illness befalls a man because the food harms him.
He who sates himself with too much bread becomes ill and suffers.
He who sates himself with too much wine lies down in a stupor.
All kinds of illness are in the limbs because of being too sated.
15 He who is moderate in his manner of life, his flesh is not disturbed.
Illness does not burn him who is moderate in food.
Poverty does not rule over him who controls himself in expenditure.
His belly does not relieve itself in the street because of the food in it.
The fool has neither shame nor fidelity because of his gluttony.
20 He who is insolent among men becomes the first among women.
He who eats for the sake of his belly is violated by his companions.
He who is gluttonous through shamelessness draws everyone's blame to himself.
He who eats when there is no reserve is one who sleeps while death is before him.
He who spends without an income must pay interest on interest.
[7] It is an illness without recovery; one reaches death through it.
It is an imprisonment without a future; one is confined forever.
To be old without subsistence, that is an undesired lifetime.
An old man who has provisions is strong for what confronts him.
5 A reserve in the house is effective for every need.
The fool who forgets the morrow will lack food in it.
The little he has is good as long as he is sated with plenty of food.
Hunger is good for him who knows how to be sated without harm attaining him.
Lawful punishment attains the man who is foolish because of his belly.
10 A shameless glutton draws everyone's blame to himself.
A wise man is harmed because of a woman he loves.
He who is safe with his belly and guarded with his phallus is not blamed at all.
There is one who lives on little so as to save, yet he becomes poor.
There is one who does not know, yet the fate gives him wealth.
15 It is not the wise man who saves who finds a reserve.
Nor is it the one who spends who becomes poor.
The god gives a wealth of provisions without an income.
He also gives poverty in the purse without spending.
The fate and the [fortune] that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 55.
20 The Ninth Instruction. The teaching not to be a fool, so that one does not fail to receive you in the house.
Wrongdoing [comes] to the heart of the fool through his love of women.
He does not think of the morrow for the sake of wronging the wife of another.
The fool who looks at a woman is like a fly on blood.
His . . . attains the bedroom, unless the hand of another attains him.
[8] The [fool] brings disturbance to . . . because of his phallus.
His love of fornication does harm to his livelihood.
He who knows how to dominate his heart has the equal of every teaching.
If a woman is beautiful reveal your mastery of her.
5 A good woman who does not love another man in her family is a wise woman.
The women who follow this teaching are rarely bad.
Their good condition comes from the voice of the god in them.
There is she who fills her house with wealth without there being an income.
There is she who is mistress of praise as mistress of the house through her character.
10 There is she whom I know as the blame of the bad woman
Fear her on account of the fear of Hathor.
The fool who wrongs the mistress of the house, his portion is to be cursed.
He who is worthy before the god will have respect for them.
There is he who forgets a wife when he is young because he loves another woman.
15 She is not a good woman who is pleasing to another man.
She is not the fool of the street who misbehaves in it.
He is not a wise man who consorts with them.
The work of Mut and Hathor is what acts among women.
It is in women that the good demon and the bad demon are active on earth.
20 The fate and the fortune go and come when the god commands them. Total: 25.
The Tenth Instruction. The teaching not to weary of instructing your son.
A statue of stone is the foolish son whom his father has not instructed.
It is a son's good and blessed portion to obtain instruction and utterance.
No instruction can have effect if there is dislike.
[9] The youth [who] is not spoiled by his belly is not blamed.
He who is safe with his phallus, his name does not stink.
He who is steadfast and thoughtful is chosen among the people.
He who listens to a reproof protects himself from another.
5 The fault in every kind of character comes from not listening.
Thoth has placed the stick on earth in order to teach the fool by it.
He gave shame to the wise man for the sake of escaping all punishment.
The youth who has respect through shame is not scorned with punishment.
A son does not die from being punished by his father.
10 He who loves his spoiled son will spoil himself with him.
The stick and shame protect his son from the fiend.
The son who is not taught, his . . . causes wonder.
The heart of his father does not desire a long lifetime for him.
The wise one among the children is worthy of life.
15 Better the son of another than a son who is an accursed fool.
There is he who has not been taught, yet he knows how to instruct another.
There is he who knows the instruction, yet he does not know how to live by it.
He is not a true son who accepts instruction so as to be taught.
It is the god who gives the heart, gives the son, and gives the good character.
20 The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who determines them. Total: 25.
The Eleventh Instruction. The teaching how to acquire protection for yourself, so that you do not become needy.
To serve by virtue of [his] character protects him who seeks protection.
Small wrath, shame, and care, that is the praise of the wise man.
[10] [It is the god who] gives protection to the wise man because of his service.
A wise man who has a mortgage gives service for safety.
A wise man in quietude gives service in the manner of life {or, for a livelihood}.
The fool who does not give service, his goods will belong to another.
5 The stupid man who has no protection sleeps in prison.
He who has found his asylum is not taken away by force.
He who spends something on protection sleeps safely in the street.
He who gives bread {or, a gift} when there is an accusation is justified without being questioned.
He who does half a good deed and half a service gets abuse.
10 Do not withhold your name, lest you spoil your reward.
Do not vaunt what you have done as a service, for then you annoy.
Do not approach when it is not the time for it, for then your master will dislike you.
Do not be far, lest one must search for you and you become a stench to him.
Do not multiply complaints about obtaining the reward that you desire .
15 Do not tell him you were patient at the time of his benefaction .
Do not be free in speaking to him so that he should know you were patient.
Do not slight him in the street, lest his stick repay you.
Do not tell him something bad when he blames your stupidity.
Do not tell him something good out of concern for his enmity.
20 Do not say anything to him when there is anger in his heart.
Do not sit, do not stand in an undertaking which is urgent .
Do not tarry when he gives a command, lest his time be lost.
Do not [hasten to] do an evil deed because he said something that should not be heard.
[11] Do not be forgetful at the time of questioning.
Do not report at all when something else is in his heart.
Do not answer when he asks you about an undertaking which you do not know.
Do not vaunt your manner of life when he knows it.
5 Do not let your name come before him in any matter concerning a woman.
Do not carry a word into the street from a counsel in his house.
Do not accuse him before another person by blaming his character.
Do not be ashamed at the time of an accusation when he questions you and examines you.
You should serve him when he is near as well as when he is far from you.
10 Know the disposition of his character, do not do what his heart despises.
If he finds fault with you, go and plead with him until he is reconciled to you.
If he gives you a gift, take it to the god and he will let you have it.
There is no true protection except the work of the god.
There is no true servant except the one who does his service .
15 He is a wall of copper for his lord in the darkness.
He brings destruction upon the enemy without protection behind him.
There is he who is tormented, and it is his master who questions.
He is not a powerful master who gives protection to another.
Nor is he a powerless outcast who is tormented.
20 Before the god the strong and the weak are a joke.
The fate and the fortune go and come when he commands them. Total: 47.
The Twelfth Instruction
Do not trust one whom you do not know in your heart, lest he cheat you with cunning.
The blind one whom the god blesses, his way is open.
[12] The lame one whose heart is on the way of the god, his way is even.
The god blesses trust with protection.
The evil man is evilly punished because of his deceit.
Do not trust a fool because he brings you something with a blessing.
5 The stupid man who seeks to deceive, his tongue brings him harm.
Do not trust another on the way if there are no people near you.
The work of the fiend affects the wise man through cunning.
Do not trust your enemy, lest his heart bring forth cursing.
The fool who is insolent is overpowered by the fiend.
10 The evil man takes two-thirds and seeks the other third.
Do not trust a fool because of an oath.
Do not trust a fool at any time in an undertaking.
The property of a wise man is lost through being left in the hand of a fool.
One does not discover the heart of a man in his character if one has not sent him on an errand .
15 One does not discover the heart of a wise man if one has not tested him in a matter.
One does not discover the heart of a true man if one has not consulted him in a reckoning.
One does not discover the heart of a trustworthy man if one has not sought something from him.
One does not discover the heart of a friend if one has not consulted him in anxiety.
One does not discover the heart of a brother if one has not begged from him in want.
20 One does not discover the heart of a son until the day when one seeks goods from him.
One does not discover the heart of a servant as long as his master is not attacked.
One does not ever discover the heart of a woman anymore than one knows the sky.
When a wise man is tested it is rare to find him perfect.
One who has a foolish tongue is many times found out.
25 There is he who trusts the moment and he is safe forever.
[13] There is he who trusts no one but himself.
He is not a man of heart who is tested in every kind of behaviour.
Nor is he a fool who is discovered by examining it.
Shame is the gift of the god in whom one trusts.
5 He does not apportion it to the evil man nor to the impious one.
Falsehood does not depart from them nor the cunning which they love.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who determines them. Total: 35.
The Thirteenth Instruction
Do not trust a thief, lest you come to grief.
10 Better a serpent in the house than a fool who frequents it.
He who frequents a fool is drawn into crime.
He who lives with a stupid man dies in prison.
The friend of a fool sleeps bound to him.
The crimes of a fool harm even his brothers.
15 A crocodile in fury harms its divine brothers.
A fool who lights a fire goes close to it and burns.
A stupid man who starts a fight goes close to it and falls.
When a thief commits a theft his companions get a beating.
He who walks with a wise man shares his praise.
20 He who passes by with a fool makes a stench in the street.
There is he who meets grief because he has met a stupid man.
There is who is far from him, yet he gets into crime without knowing it.
It is not he who walks with a fool who is ruined through foolishness.
[14] He is not a wise man who shows the way to another.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who determines them. Total: 17.
The Fourteenth Instruction. Do not let the inferior man rule, lest he make your name that of a fool.
If the food is rightly measured and the work settled, the servant is humble before his master.
5 To thrash the stupid man is to draw him away from his bad character.
A fool before whom there is no stick has no concern in his heart.
A fool who has no concern gives concern to him who sends him on an errand .
The pay due to the inferior man, let it be food and the stick.
The inferior man whose face is downcast is one who has been well instructed.
10 A stupid man who has no work, his phallus does not give him rest.
If the stick is far from the master, the servant does not listen to him.
The god blesses him who punishes lawfully.
And he is angered if the fool is left to his stupidity.
The ruler is punished for letting the impious man have power .
15 The god leaves his city during the rule of an evil master.
Law and justice cease in a town when there is no stick!
Trouble comes to the people through disturbance by a stupid man.
Evil counsel attains the fool when there is no control.
The god gives power to the wise man for the sake of command .
20 A great temple is ruined because its leaders are in discord .
Do not let pass the offence of him who extends his hand.
Do not leave a fool or evil man to the behaviour that he likes.
Do not leave an ignorant man or a fool at a work that he does not know.
[15] Do not let an impious or inferior man command the people.
There is a trace of the inferior man in the character of the man of god.
He is not a great man who is chosen because of character.
Nor is he an inferior man who leaves the way because of stupidity.
5 The heart and the character and their owner are in the hand of the god.
The fate and the fortune go and come when he commands them. Total: 28.
The Fifteenth Instruction. Do not be greedy, lest your name stink.
A mortgage with greed is coal that burns its owner.
Theft with greed brings a lawful killing {i.e., execution}.
10 The god gives wealth to the wise man because of generosity.
The wealth of generosity is greater than the wealth of greed.
Greed puts strife and combat in a house.
Greed removes shame, mercy, and trust from the heart.
Greed causes disturbance in a family.
15 He who is greedy does not like to give to him who gave to him.
He does not think cf the morrow because he lives for the moment.
He does not eat of a thing to satiety because of stupidity.
Money with greed, its wrong does not end.
Money is the snare the god has placed on the earth for the impious man so that he should worry daily.
20 But he gives it to his beloved so as to remove worry from his heart.
He who is generous in giving food through it is one to whom the fate gives it.
Wealth goes to him who gives food through it.
[16] Burnt offering and libation are excellent for giving food.
A funeral is excellent for giving food in it.
The heart of the god is content when the poor man is sated before him.
If property accrues to you give a portion to the god; that is the portion of the poor.
5 If much property accrues to you spend for your town, so that there is no torment in it.
If you have power invite him who is far as well as him who is near you.
He who invites him who is far, his name will be great when he is far.
He who loves his neighbour finds family around him.
The good repute of the good man conveys a great name from one to another.
10 Giving food without dislike removes all dislike.
The god gives a thousand for one to him who gives it to another.
The god lets one acquire wealth on account of doing the good deed of mercy.
He who gives food to him who is poor, the god credits it to him for an offering of millions.
The giving of food contents the heart of the god more than the heart of him who finds it.
15 He who loves to give food to another will find it before him in every house.
He who hides because of avarice is a stranger who is hidden.
He who wrongs his people dies without prayers being said for him.
But a family accrues to the wise man, the one who thinks of requiting it.
The death of the evil man is a feast for the household left behind.
20 The praise of the street is the exchange for the goods of the storehouse.
Small wealth with blessing is Hapy in his time of growth.
The goods of the greedy are ashes driven by the wind.
There is he who buries them when they are gathered, and then the earth conceals them.
[17] He is not a greedy hoarder who has a reserve in the storehouse.
It is the god who gives wealth and poverty according to that which he has decreed.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who determines them. Total: 42.
The Sixteenth Instruction. Do not let your flesh suffer when you have something in the storehouse.
5 The heart cannot be high when there is heart-soreness in it.
Death and the life of tomorrow, we do not know its shape .
Today with its livelihood is what the wise man asks for.
He who loves to hoard wealth will die robbed of it.
The good lifetime of him who has become old is provided by what is in his hand.
10 He who is poor while there are goods in the storehouse is one who will have to beg his share of them.
He who has passed sixty years, everything has passed for him.
If his heart loves wine, he cannot drink to drunkenness.
If he desires food, he cannot eat as he used to.
If his heart desires a woman, her moment does not come.
15 Wine, women, and food give gladness to the heart.
He who uses them without shouting is not reproached in the street.
He who is deprived of one of them becomes the enemy of his body.
The wise man who finds provisions, his time will not be miserable.
Better is the short time of him who is old than the long lifetime of him who begs.
20 The life of one who is greedy is one that passes without having been known.
The life that approaches the peak, two-thirds of it are lost.
Man spends ten years as a child before he understands death and life.
He spends another ten years to acquire the work of instruction by which he will be able to live.
[18] He spends another ten years gaining and earning possessions by which to live.
He spends another ten years up to old age before his heart takes counsel.
There remain sixty years of the whole life which Thoth has recorded for the man of god.
One in a million, the god giving his blessing, is he who spends them with the fate being satisfied.
5 Neither the sinner nor the man of god can alter the lifetime recorded for him.
He who is fortunate in his days thinks of death in them.
He who thinks of it for the sake of hoarding, the riches will bring about his end.
The chief demon is the first to punish him after the taking of the breath.
Cedar oil, incense, natron, and salt are small remedy for healing his wounds.
10 An inflammation that has no mercy burns his body.
He cannot say "Remove your hand," during the punishment by him who deals out beatings.
The end of the man of god is to be buried on the mountain with his burial equipment.
The owner of millions who acquired them by hoarding cannot take them to the mountain in his hand.
One does not give a lifetime to him who hoards in order to leave them to another after him.
15 He who thinks of the god and his protection is one who does what the god wishes on earth.
The gift of the god to the man of god is making him patient in his time of mercy.
Great is the grief of those who left the way at leaving their savings to another.
He who knows what is within the man of god does not hoard riches.
Drink and eat when no brother is hungry, when no father and mother beseech you.
20 Make holiday freely as long as no one begs from you.
Be happy with whom you wish as long as no fool joins you.
As for a good woman of tested good character, you will not be able to blame her on account of it.
A timely remedy is to prevent illness by having the greatness of the god in your heart.
[19] There is he who uses his portion for himself in a lifetime without blame.
There is he who hoards riches until death arrives.
He is not the owner of millions in wealth who takes his portion of it.
He is not a greedy one who is concerned for his next day's food.
5 The fate and the fortune go and come when the god commands them. Total: 51.
The Seventeenth Instruction. Do not let worry flourish, lest you become distraught.
If the heart worries about its owner it makes him ill.
When worry has arisen the heart seeks death itself.
It is the god who gives patience to the wise man in misfortune .
10 The impious man who forgets the god dies stricken in his heart.
A short day in misfortune is many days in the heart of the impatient man.
The support of the man of god in misfortune is the god.
The fool does not call to him in trouble because of his impiety.
He who is steadfast in hardship, his fate goes and comes accordingly.
15 The fate together with the god bring happiness after anxiety.
Do not be heart-sore in your town because you are weak.
He who is weak in his town becomes strong in it again.
Do not prefer death to life in misfortune out of despair.
The god returns contentment, he who is dead does not return.
20 He creates happiness through the fate at the end of old age.
The weak man who has no resentment, his food is not hard.
What is good for a man is not be vengeful when the fate is hard.
Do not be heart-sore about a matter if its course comes to a halt.
[20] The day of loss is lost for its very safety.
Do not sail the course of the evil man even when fate is satisfied with him.
The impious man does not die in the fortune which he likes.
Do not be heart-sore during an imprisonment; the work of the god is great.
5 The man of god is in prison for his very safety.
Death protects from prison because of prayer.
Do not worry your heart with the bitterness of one who is dying.
No one turns away from life because of another's dying.
Nor does anyone listen because you pray to the sky.
10 He who dies {or, has died} in the middle of life, the god knows what he has done.
The god does not forget the punishment for any crime.
What passes by of vexations today, let them be yesterday to you.
What comes of hardship, leave yourself in the hand of the god in it.
One day differs from another for him whose heart cares.
15 One hour differs from another in a lifetime without blame .
It so befell in the beginning when the gods were on earth.
When Pre had weakened before the enemies, they weakened before him in turn.
When Horus had been hidden behind the papyrus, he became master of the earth in turn.
Happiness came to Isis out of misfortune at the end of what she had undergone.
20 Good steering comes out of trouble after grief.
The god turns away fear in the straits when death is near.
He saves the ox after whose branding is the slaughter block.
The fear of the man of god is that which goes just as it came.
[21] Hardship when there is no blame is not to be feared.
A time in misfortune does not make the man of god give up.
There is he who is persevering about tomorrow without his hand attaining.
There is he who does not take care, and the fate cares for him.
5 He is not a wise man in misfortune who takes his heart for a companion.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 48.
The Eighteenth Instruction
The teaching of being patient until you have taken counsel, lest you offend.
The patience of a wise man is, to consult with the god.
10 Patience without resentment results in good steering.
The impiety of the evil man finds . . . of Thoth before him.
Harm {or, punishment} attains the fool because he does not take counsel.
He who listens to the judgment of his heart sleeps without trouble.
He who guards his heart and his tongue sleeps without an enemy.
15 He who reveals a secret matter, his house will burn.
He who repeats it out of impatience is one who defiles his tongue.
He who turns away from his anger is one who is far from the anger of the god.
The fool who is impatient, the god is impatiently after him.
When a fool is patient time lags for him.
20 The patience of a fool is like a flame that flares and then dies.
The patience The patience of a fool is such that when his master sends him, he who has sent him must go after him.
Patience and impatience, the fate is their lord who makes them.
[22] All their time is examined by the wise man.
Their determination is through the counsel which the god has decreed.
He who finds counsel is not a wise man who takes counsel.
Nor is he whose manner annoys a fool or an idiot.
5 Taking counsel, thought, and patience are in the hand of the god.
The fate and the fortune go and come when he commands them. [Total . . .]
The Nineteenth Instruction. The teaching of making your speech calm.
Gentleness in every kind, of behaviour, that is the praise of the wise man.
The might of a fool in power is one that goes to a swift death.
10 Do not make your voice harsh, do not speak loudly with your tongue.
A loud voice causes harm to the parts of the body just like an illness.
Do not be impatient when you question, so that you get angry when it is time to listen.
Do not reveal what is hidden to a wise man for the sake of his listening.
His praise is great before the people because of listening.
15 Water goes into the temple although there is no water before it.
Do not be vengeful to him who is {or, has been} vengeful until his day has come.
He who fares downstream with the oar, rows when it is time to row.
Do not reveal what is in your heart to your master when he is reckoning.
The counsel that occurs to the fool is weightless like the wind.
20 Do not give way often to your tongue to counsel when you have not been asked.
He who hastens with his word when he speaks gives a false answer.
One does not listen to the voice of a chatterer in an accusation.
One does not judge according to the complaint of a stupid man because it is strong.
[23] One does not torment someone unless he has been uncovered through his begging.
One does not pity the impious man during punishment because his voice is loud.
One does not praise a loaded donkey because it brays.
A fool does not obtain a portion of something because of bringing something .
5 Better is the portion of him who is silent than the portion of him who says "Give me."
It is better to bless someone than to do harm to one who has insulted you.
If a wise man is not calm his manner does not avail.
If there is no calm in combat its army cannot rest.
If there is no calm in a feast its master cannot get drunk.
10 If there is no calm in a temple its gods are the ones who abandon it.
One places a chapel under a god because of its name.
Praise goes to the wise man because of his calm.
Old age is the good time of life because of its gentleness.
He who makes his behaviour harsh goes to a bad death.
15 There is the evil man who is calm like a crocodile in water.
There is the fool who is calm like heavy lead.
He is not a restless fool who is gripped by unrest.
It is the god who gives calm and unrest through his commands.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 36.
20 The Twentieth Instruction. Do not slight a small thing, lest you suffer from it.
Deadly harm comes to the fool for slighting greatness in his heart.
In turn harm is done to a great man for slighting smallness .
It is the god who gives the heart to the wise man for the sake of respect.
It is he who leaves the impious man in harm because of his brutality.
25 Do not slight royalty and divinity in order to injure them.
[24] He who fears harm escapes all harm.
Do not slight a small illness for which there is a remedy; use the remedy.
He to whom an illness reverts day after day, his recovery from it is hard.
Do not slight a small amulet when it is time to seek it.
5 An amulet that has no harm saves its owner from it.
Do not slight a small god, lest his retaliation teach you.
The small shrew mouse vents its anger.
The small scarab is great through its hidden image.
The small dwarf is great because of his name.
10 The small snake has poison.
The small river has its demon.
The small fire is to be feared.
The small document has great benefit.
The small-of-age {i.e., the youth}, his name avails through combat.
15 The small cord binds its oar.
The small truth, its owner injures by it.
The small falsehood makes trouble for him who commits it.
The little food gives well-being to its owner.
The small service, if steady, removes dislike.
20 A little saving creates wealth.
A little bread {or, gift} stops a killing.
The heart, in its smallness, sustains its owner.
A small worry breaks the bones.
A small good news makes the heart live.
A little dew makes the field live.
[25] A little wind carries the boat.
The little bee brings the honey.
The small škt carries away the field.
The small locust destroys the grapevine.
5 A small wrong hastens death.
A small benefaction is not hidden from the god.
Many are the small things that are worthy of respect.
Few are the great things that are worthy of admiration.
There is he who fears blame, yet he commits a great crime.
10 There is he who is loud-mouthed out of scorn, yet he gives service.
He who guards himself is not a wise and respectful man.
Nor is he to whom harm comes a deceitful fool.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who determines them. Total: 44.
The Twenty-first Instruction. The teaching not to slight lest you be slighted.
15 The hand that is not greedy, its owner is not reproached.
A town in which you have no family, your heart is your family.
A man's good character, it serves as company around him.
Do not love your belly, know shame in your heart, do not scorn the voice of your heart.
He who scorns one of them makes a stench in the street.
20 Do not dance in the crowd, do not appear among the multitude .
Do not let your tongue differ from your heart in counsel when you are asked.
A false man does not tell to another what is in his heart.
What he desires does not come about through his counsels.
Do not fear, do not be lazy, do not let worry flourish.
[26] The wage of the fool and the inferior man is the laughter that falls on him.
Do not ask for something that belongs to another out of scorn for him.
Do not scorn an inferior man because his hand is extended when it is untimely.
The fool makes an enemy of his questioner by his not listening.
5 Do not flatter nor be insolent in any house because of love of your belly.
He who goes without having been invited is one to whom the house is narrow {i.e., inhospitable}.
When the evil man has well-being he asks for death in it.
The wise man who despairs, death is a wonder to him.
Do not think of hindering a fool or one bereft of judgment .
10 He who loves worry does not listen to reproof of what he has done.
Do not do a work which is scorned if you can live by another.
Do not be close to one in whose heart there is hatred.
The fool with his bad character does not cease to hate.
Do not beg a gift from an evil brother in the family.
15 There is no brother in the family except the brother who is kindhearted.
Do not borrow money at interest in order to provide plenty of food with it.
He who controls himself concerning his manner of life is not reproached on account of his belly.
Do not alter your word when spending, do not cheat at the time of sealing a contract.
A wise man who is trusted, his pledge is in one's hand.
20 His word in a matter is a pledge without an oath.
Do not set a due date for someone while another date is in your heart.
What is in the heart of the wise man is what one finds on his tongue.
Do not draw back from what you have said except from a lawless wrong.
The honour of the true and wise scribe is in his words.
[27] Do not cheat when you are questioned, there being a witness behind you.
Do not steal out of hunger, you will be found out.
Better death in want than life in shamelessness.
Do not raise your hand, there being one who listens.
5 . . . . . .
He who is silent under slander is one who escapes from crime.
Do not desire to take revenge on your master in order to seek justice.
Do not come close to the strong man though you have protection behind you.
When a wise man is stripped he gives his clothes and blesses.
10 Do not undertake any work and then fail to be satisfied by it.
Do not render judgment to the people without a stick to make them listen to you.
The fool who is justified insults him who slandered him.
Do not be brutal to one who is silent, lest his heart beget strife .
The snake one treads on ejects a strong poison.
15 The fool who is brutal to another is scorned for his brutality.
There is who is scorned for his gentleness, yet he is patient toward another through it.
There is he who is arrogant, and he makes a stench in the street.
He is not a wise man who is chosen among the people.
Nor is he a great man who is respected by another.
20 It is the god who gives the praise and the blameless character.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 57.
The Twenty-second Instruction
The teaching not to abandon the place in which you can live .
[28] Humble work and humble food are better than being sated far away.
The occupation of one who is foolish about his belly is to go around after a violent death.
When a wise and godly man has an illness close to death he is yet strong in it.
The god who is in the town is the one by whose command are the death and life of his people.
5 The impious man who becomes a stranger puts himself in the hand of the fiend.
The man of god who is far from his town, his worth is not better known than that of another.
He who dies far from his town is buried only out of pity.
The wise man who is unknown is one who is scorned by the fools.
The town of the fool is hostile to him because of his wandering about.
10 The impious man who leaves the way of his town, its gods are the ones who hate him.
He who loves wrongful roaming is one who finds lawful punishment.
The crocodiles get their portion of the fools because of their roaming.
Such is the way of life of people who roam.
He who goes away saying "I shall come back" is one who returns by the hand of the god.
15 He who is far while his prayer is far, his gods are far from him.
No blood brother reaches him in his anxiety.
If one is saved from an evil thing, as a stranger one gets into it.
Everywhere the stranger is the servant of the inferior man.
He gets slandered by the people although he has done no wrong.
20 Someone will despise him though he did not spite him.
He must listen to curse and abuse and laugh at it as a joke.
He must forget the crime of woman because he is a stranger.
A rich man who is abroad is one whose purse gets rifled.
When a wise man is far away his heart seeks his town.
[29] He who worships his god in his town in the morning, he will live.
He who pronounces the god's name in a wrong is saved from it.
The wise man who goes and comes will place the greatness of the god in his heart.
He who goes and comes while on his way returns to him again.
5 Wherever the wise man is, the praise of his name is with him.
The fool with his bad character gets into crime through it.
There is not many a man of the town who knows how to live in it.
Nor is he a stranger whose life is hard.
It is the god who shows the way through the teaching of how to live.
10 It is he who leaves the impious man to go and come without a place to stay.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 38.
The Twenty-third Instruction. Do not burn, lest the god burn you with punishment.
The poison of the breathing snake is in its mouth; the poison of the inferior man is in his heart.
He equals the snake which kills; he is merciless like the crocodile.
15 One cannot remove the poison of the crocodile, the snake, and the evil one.
One cannot find a remedy against the sting of a fool's tongue.
The fool who roams about loves neither peace nor him who brings it.
The impious man does not desire mercy for him who has done wrong to him.
His eye is insatiable for blood in lawless crime.
20 He who burns about an evil gets into crime through it.
The burning fire is extinguished by water while the water reverts to it.
Natron and salt are lost in their action because of their burning.
Milk is spoiled in a jug . . .
[30] It is because of many foods that firmness is good.
The evil man whose heart loves evil will find it.
One who thinks of the good is one who masters it.
The good action of incense, its portion is in it.
5 The impatient man gets into trouble through seeking to injure by it.
What comes from the earth returns to it again.
The god gives the lamp and the fat according to the heart.
He knows his beloved and gives goods to him who gave to him.
The impious man does not cease from the behaviour which he loves.
10 The man of god does not burn to injure, lest one burn against him.
The evil man who has power does not let harm grow against him.
The man of god stays in misfortune until the god is reconciled.
He who knows how to steer his heart is not one who is merciful.
Nor is he who knows the curse of haste one who burns.
15 All these are in the power of the fate and the god.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them. Total: 28.
The Twenty-fourth Instruction
The teaching of knowing the greatness of the god so as to put it in your heart.
Heart and tongue of the wise man, the greatness of their dwelling-place is being that of the god.
20 When heart and tongue are without blame, steering results from it.
The work of the god appears as a joke to the heart of the fool.
The life of the fool is a burden to the god himself.
A lifetime is given to the impious man in order to make him encounter retaliation.
Property is given to the evil man in order to deprive him of his breath through it.
[31] One does not understand the heart of the god until what he has decreed has come.
When the people raise their hands the god knows it.
He knows the impious man who thinks of evil.
He knows the man of god and that he has the greatness of the god in his heart.
5 Before the tongue has been questioned the god knows its answers.
The blow of the lance that comes from afar, the place where it lands is decreed for it.
The impious man alone suffers a thousandfold.
Though the god lets him escape from slaughter after having bound him.
But one says "A wonder of the god" when one is in fear without blame.
10 He is wakeful at night against the reptiles of the dark.
He directs the heart and the tongue by his commands.
He gives good determination through the counsel which no one knows.
He creates abundant value without there being a storehouse behind him.
It is he who makes the way safe without there being a guard.
15 It is he who gives the just law without there being a judgment.
He lets the well-born be great while he lives because of mercy.
He makes the poor beggar a master because he knows his heart.
The impious man does not say "There is god" in the fortune which he decrees.
He who says "It cannot happen" should look to what is hidden.
20 How do the sun and moon go and come in the sky?
Whence go and come water, fire, and wind?
Through whom do amulet and spell become remedies?
The hidden work of the god, he makes it known on the earth daily.
He created light and darkness with every creature in it.
[32] He created the earth, begetting millions, swallowing them up and begetting again.
He created day, month, and year through the commands of the lord of command.
He created summer and winter through the rising and setting of Sothis.
He created food before those who are alive, the wonder of the fields.
5 He created the constellation of those that are in the sky, so that those on earth would learn them.
He created sweet water in it which all the lands desire.
He created the breath in the egg though there is no access to it.
He created birth in every womb from the semen which they receive.
He created sinews and bones out of the same semen.
10 He created going-and-coming in the whole earth through the trembling of the ground.
He created sleep to end weariness, waking for taking care of food.
He created remedies to end illness, wine to end affliction.
He created the dream to show the way to the dreamer in his blindness.
He created life and death before him for the torment of the impious man.
15 He created wealth for truth, poverty for falsehood.
He created work for the stupid man, food for the common man.
He created the succession of generations so as to make them live.
He lets the fortune of those on earth be hidden from them so as to be unknown.
He lets the food of the servant be different from that of the master.
20 He lets a woman of the royal harem have another husband.
He lets the stranger who has come from outside live like the townsman.
There is no fellowman who knows the fortune that is before him.
There is he who follows his counsel, yet he finds a slaying in it.
There is the deed which the fool commits, yet he does a good deed by it.
[33] He who is at the head of the crowd is not one who runs.
Nor is he who falls on the way one who kills.
Fate and retaliation go around and bring about what the god has commanded.
Fate does not look ahead, retaliation does not go-and-come wrongfully.
5 Great is the counsel of the god in putting one thing after another.
The fate and the fortune that come, it is the god who sends them.
The Twenty-fifth Instruction
The teaching to guard against retaliation, lest a portion of it reach you.
Violent vengefulness against the god brings a violent death.
Vengefulness which is very powerful brings retaliation in turn.
10 The god does not forget, retaliation does not rest.
The impious man does not fear it, retaliation does not become sated with him.
But gentleness toward the weak is on the way of the man of god.
He who is arrogant in the town is one who will be weak on its ground.
He who is loud-mouthed in the temple is one who will be silent because of weakness.
15 He who leaves the weak in torment is one who will complain when he is no longer protected.
He who takes food by force is one who will beg for it because of hunger.
He who hastens to make an oath is one whose death will hasten.
He who uncovers the affairs of another is one who will be uncovered.
He who violates a man by force, his offspring will soon be buried.
20 He who does harm for harm, his old age will be harmed.
He who lets his heart be wakeful about retaliation will not find it.
When you are sated with power, lay a little of it down.
When you live as one who is mighty, let the wrath of your heart be small.
When you walk along the street, leave the way to him who is old.
[34] When you look at the weak man, fear the fate because of weakness.
When you look at retaliation, fear retaliation because of punishment.
Retaliation is exalted because of its name and slighted because of impatience.
Its punishment is heavier that the punishment of Sakhmet when she rages.
5 . . . . . .
When retaliation reaches a house, the fate will seek to escape from it.
When it reaches a family, it leaves the brothers as enemies.
When it reaches a town, it leaves strife among its people.
When it reaches a nome, it lets the evil one have power.
10 When it reaches the temples, it lets the fools be strong.
When it reaches the impious man, it makes another man fear him.
When it reaches a wise man, he is left foolish, bad, and stupid.
There is no counsel or thought in a wise man who is in the state of retaliation.
No work quickens for the quick without fate.
15 No man holds a mortgage or pledge if he is under a curse.
There is no worry or harm at the time when the god is content.
Retaliation does not cease to harm the destroyer.
Fortune, blessing, and power are by the god's command .
He metes out punishment for offense, he gives reward for benefaction.
20 He creates hunger after satiety, satiety in turn after hunger.
Men cannot avoid the god and retaliation when he decrees it for them.
He who burns He who lets pass a small fault dissolves dislike and is content.
[35] Violence, want, insult, unkindness, they never never rest.
I have not turned to do evil . . ., my heart, the god knows [it] .
I have not taken vengeance on another; another has not suffered on my account.
The offence which I have committed unwittingly, I beg [forgiveness for it].
5 I call to the god to be reconciled with me and give me . . . without . . .
He removes the worry about safety without a remnant.
He gives a lifetime without despair and a [good] burial.
He relies on your heart on its way in its days.
Apis and Mnevis abide at the window of Pharaoh forever.
10 They will do good to him who will listen to these words and to him who will say . . .
The heart of the wise man, its recompense is the eye of the god . . .
The heart of the impious man who does not know . . .
The end of the instruction. May his ba be young for all eternity:
Phebhor son of Djedherpaan, whose ba will serve Osiris-Sokar,
15 the great god, the lord of Abydos. May his ba and his body be young for all eternity.
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