Judaism
Proverbs 18
Text
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And snarlest against all sound wisdom.
A fool hath no delight in understanding, But only that his heart may lay itself bare.
When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt, And with ignominy reproach.
The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters; A flowing brook, a fountain of wisdom.
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, So as to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for strokes.
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Even one that is slack in his work Is brother to him that is a destroyer. .
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is set up on high.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And as a high wall in his own conceit.
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honour goeth humility.
He that giveth answer before he heareth, It is folly and confusion unto him.
The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a broken spirit who can bear?
The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
A man’s gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.
He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just; But his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out.
The lot causeth strife to cease, And parteth asunder the contentious.
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city; And their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
A man’s belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a great good, And obtaineth favour of the LORD.
The poor useth entreaties; But the rich answereth impudently.
There are friends that one hath to his own hurt; But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277 (trans. F. Max Müller)
“‘All created things perish,’ he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way to purity.”
Tao Te Ching 76 (trans. James Legge)
“Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. (So it is with) all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And taking new ones, sayeth, "These will I wear to-day!" So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth to inherit A residence afresh.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends.”
Analects 2:11 (trans. James Legge)
“If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.”
Tao Te Ching 33 (trans. James Legge)
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal with those who know not?”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”