The Book of Amenomope
The Books Of Wise Instruction

I

Beware of robbing the poor and of oppressing the weak and helpless. Raise not your hand against the aged nor address an elder with improper speech. Let not yourself be sent on an evil mission nor stand in the company of those who have performed it. Rage not against those who injure you, nor on your account answer them. The wharf falls from under the wicked and a flood of water washes them away. The north wind comes down to end their hour on earth and turns into a tempest; the thunder roars and the crocodiles come without mercy.

II

Let us steer a righteous course so that we may carry the wicked across without becoming like them. Raise them up, give them your hand and then, leave them in the hands of God. Fill them with the food of your kindness that they might be satisifed and repent. Another thing good in the heart of God is that you pause and think before speaking.

III

Do not argue with the contentious, nor provoke them with words. Pause before those who interrupt and give way to those who verbally attack you. Sleep a night before speaking. For the unrestrained person is like a storm which bursts forth like a flame in a pile of straw.


IV

Now, the unrestrained man or woman in the temple is like a tree grown in unfertile ground. Its leaves wither quickIy and its unripe fruit falls to the earth. It reaches its end in the lumber yard or it is floated far from its place. And its burial cloth becomes a flame of fire. But the self-mastered man or woman sets him or herself apart. He or she is like a tree grown in fertile ground. It grows green and doubles its yield of fruit. It has its place in the eyes of its owner. Its fruit is sweet, its shade is pleasant and its end is reached in the garden.