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⁶ Like music in time of mourning is ill-timed conversation,
   but a thrashing and discipline are at all times wisdom.^*

Wisdom and Folly

⁹ Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,
   or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
¹⁰ Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man;
   and at the end he will say, ‘What is it?’
¹¹ Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind;
   and weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind.
Weep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest;
   but the life of the fool is worse than death.
¹² Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
   but for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.

¹³ Do not talk much with a senseless person
   or visit an unintelligent person.^*
Stay clear of him, or you may have trouble,
   and be spattered when he shakes himself.
Avoid him and you will find rest,
   and you will never be wearied by his lack of sense.
¹⁴ What is heavier than lead?
   And what is its name except ‘Fool’?
¹⁵ Sand, salt, and a piece of iron
   are easier to bear than a stupid person.

¹⁶ A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building
   is not loosened by an earthquake;
so the mind firmly resolved after due reflection
   will not be afraid in a crisis.
¹⁷ A mind settled on an intelligent thought
   is like stucco decoration that makes a wall smooth.
¹⁸ Fences^* set on a high place
   will not stand firm against the wind;
so a timid mind with a fool’s resolve
   will not stand firm against any fear.