12:1 If you do good, know to whom you are doing good; And there will be hope for your goodness.
12:2 Do good to the righteous and find a reward; If not from him, from Yahweh.
12:3 It is not goodness to support the wicked; And likewise it is not righteousness for him who did so.
12:4 A double portion of evil will overtake you; For all the goodness that reached him.
12:5 Do not give him weapons of war. Why should he turn them against you?
12:6 For God also hates the evil; And to the wicked he will render vengeance.
12:7 Give to good and withhold from evil; Treasure the poor and do not give to the proud.
12:8 A friend will not be known when things are good; And an enemy will not be hidden when things are bad.
12:9 When things are good for a man, even an enemy is a companion; And when things are bad for him, even a companion separates.
12:10 Never trust in an enemy; For like bronze, his evil will corrode.
12:11 And even though he listens to you and walks quietly; Set your heart to be afraid of him. Let him be like a polished mirror; And know that there is no end to the corrosion.
12:12 Do not stand him beside you. Why should he thrust you away and stand in your place? Do not seat him at your right hand. Why should he seek your seat? And at the end, you will grasp my words; And at my sayings, you will sigh.
12:13 Who will show favor to a snake charmer who is bitten? Or to anyone who comes near a beast with strong teeth?
12:14 So is he who joins with a man of pride And wallows in his iniquities.
12:15 As long as you stand, he will not express himself; But if you trip, he will not contain himself.
12:16 With his lips, an adversary tarries; But with his heart, he considers deep pits. And even though he weeps with his eyes; When he finds the [right] time, he will not be filled with blood.
12:17 If evil meets you, he is found there; As a man who [pretends] to uphold you, he will take hold of your heel.
12:18 He will wag his head and wave his hand; And with much whispering, he will change his face.