‘[...] you shall not tell, and whatever you see, you shall not reveal. ’ ‘2 My son, do not loosen a sealed bond, and do not seal one that is loosened.’ ‘My son, let not your lips release words that are not yours. ’ ‘My son, if you lift up your eyes and see a woman with make-up, do not desire her, for if you give her all that you have, you will find no profit in her, and you will have committed a sin against God. ’ ‘My son, do not be hasty with your tongue like the almond tree which grows first and whose fruit is eaten last; my son, be still like the fig tree which grows last for you, and its fruit is eaten first. ’ ‘My son, lower your eyes and soften your voice and look down; be reserved and not ’

‘impudent, for if a loud voice were enough to build a house, the donkey would build two palaces a day, and if the plough were driven by sheer strength, the ploughshare would never be taken off the camel's neck. ’ ‘My son, it is good to be in relation with the wise man and not with the foolish man. ’ ‘My son, pour your wine over the grave of the righteous, and do not drink it with the foolish. ’ ‘My son, flee from the quarrelsome and talkative woman. ’ ‘My son, do not run after the beauty of a woman, and do not desire her in your heart, for the beauty of a woman is her good sense, her word, and her honour.’ ‘My son, if anyone comes to meet you with malice, meet him with wisdom. ’ ‘My son, the ungodly falls, and the righteous rises in his place. ’ ‘My son, do not deprive your son of blows.’

‘My son, tame your son while he is young, and break his back while he is young, before he is stronger than you and you are covered with shame. ’ ‘My son, acquire a strong bull and a donkey provided with good hooves, but do not acquire a runaway servant ’ ‘or a thieving maid, lest they cause you to lose all that is yours. ’ ‘My son, the words of a lying man ^are like fat sparrows, and he who has a heart eats them.’ ‘My son, do not bring upon yourself the curse of your father and mother, lest you [not] rejoice in the good of your sons. ’ ‘My son, do not set out without a sword, for you do not know what enemies will meet you. ’ ‘My son, as’

‘a tree is adorned by its fruit and a mountain by its trees, so is a man adorned by his wife and children. A slave without brothers and wife is despised and scorned by his enemies, so that he is likened to a tree by the roadside, which every passer-by plucks and every beast of the field tears off its leaves.’ ‘My son, do not say, "My lord is foolish and I am wise," but rebuke him for his faults, and you will be loved.’ ‘My son, do not count yourself among the wise, lest others do not praise you.’ ‘My son, do not multiply your words before your master, lest you become contemptible in his eyes.’ ‘My son, in the evil day, do ⟨not⟩ curse God, lest He hear your words and become angry with you.’ ‘My son, you shall not love your servant more than your heir; you shall not hate the one nor love the other, ’

‘for you do not know which shall remain with you in the end.’ ‘My son, the servant who abandons his first master and follows another does not improve his cases. ’ ‘My son, pronounce a right judgment, and you will lead a peaceful old age. ’ ‘My son, let your tongue be sweet and your speech pleasant, for the tail of the dog gives him his bread, and his mouth brings [him] blows. ’ ‘My son, do not let your friend step on your foot, lest he [also] step on your neck. ’ ‘My son, strike the wise man with wise [speech,] and it will be like a fever in his heart; [but] if you strike the foolish man with many blows, he will not understand.’ ‘My son, send out the wise men, and do not give them many orders, but if ’

‘you send out the fool, go rather yourself instead and do not send him. ’ ‘My son, test your companion with bread and water, then you will leave your goods and possessions in his hands. ’ ‘My son, go out first from the feast and do not stay to anoint with perfumes, lest you be bruised. ’ ‘My son, he whose hand ’ ‘is full is called wise, and he whose hand is empty is called foolish, and the people and the poor do not honour him. ’ ‘My son, I have eaten bitter things and I have swallowed slimy things, and I have found nothing more bitter than poverty. ’ ‘My son, I have carried lead ⟨that is lead⟩ and rolled iron, and it has ⟨not⟩ been as heavy for me as a debt, where a man descends without eating and without drinking.’ ‘My son, teach your child hunger ’

‘and thirst, that he may rule his house according to what his eye has seen. ’ ‘My son, My son, it is better to be blind (in the) eyes than blind (in the) heart, for the blind of the eyes quickly multiplies the way, follows it and comes; he is better than the blind man of the heart, who abandons the right path and goes astray. ‘My son, a near neighbour prevails over a distant brother; and a good name prevails over beauty, for a good name remains and beauty perishes. ’ ‘My son, death is better than life for the man who has no rest; and the sound of groaning prevails for a man with a heart than the sound of singing, joy and music. ’ ‘My son, a bone in your hand is better than a goose in someone else's pot. My son, the sheep that is near is better than the bull that is far away; better’’

‘is a sparrow in your hand than a thousand sparrows flying in the air. My son, poverty that gathers is better than wealth that scatters, and a living fox is better than a dead lion. ’ ‘My son, lock the word in your heart, and it will do you good; for if you speak the word, you [may] change your friend. ’ ‘My son, let no word go out of your mouth until you have turned it over in your heart, for it is better for a man to stumble in his heart than to stumble with his tongue. ’ ‘My son, if you hear a word from a man, bury it four cubits deep in the earth, so that [even] if you step on it, you lose it.’ ‘My son, do not remain among those who quarrel, for from quarrelling comes judgment, and from judgment comes death. ’ ‘My son, if you see a man who is older than you, stand before him; ’ [6r] ‘My son, he who shines in his clothing shines in his speech, and he who is contemptible in his clothing is contemptible in his speech. ’ ‘My son, if you find anything [placed] before an idol that is show forth, offer it his share. ’ ‘My son, give yourself to the hand that was full and [is now] hungry, and do not give yourself to the hand who was hungry and is now satisfied. ’ ‘My son, stone the dog that abandons its masters and follows you, for it will not stay near you. ’ ‘My son, if the wise man strikes you with many strokes of the stick, ’

‘let not the foolish man anoint you with fine ointments. ’ ‘My son, you will not be coorupted by the wise, and you will not become wise ’ ‘with the corrupt. ’ ‘My son, if you have shoes on your feet, walk through thorns and make for yourself a path for your children. ’ ‘My son, if a rich man eats a snake, it is said that he eats it for healing; and if a poor man eats it, it is said that he eats out of hunger. ’ ‘My son, eat your portion and do not quarrel with your friend. ’ ‘My son, do not eat bread with one who has no modesty. ’ ‘My son, do not envy your neighbour's good, and do not rejoice in his misfortune. ’ ‘My son, do not abandon your first friend, lest there be no one else to take his place. ’ ‘My son, do not go down to the garden of the judges, and do not marry the daughter of a judge. ’ ‘My son, visit your friend ’

‘with good words; speak before the prefect to save him from the lion's mouth. ’ ‘My son, do not rejoice over your enemy when he dies. ’ ‘My son, when a man stands without (occupying) a place, when a bird flies without wings, when the raven is white as snow and the bitter becomes sweet as honey—then the fool becomes wise. ’ ‘My son, if you are a priest of God, take good care and appear before Him in purity. ’ ‘My son, the man whom God has showered with blessings shall also be honoured by you. ’ ‘My son, do not enter into judgment with a man on his day, and do not resist the river when it floods. ’ ‘My son, the human eye is like a fountain of water—it is not satisfied with riches until it is filled with dust. ’

‘My son, do not stay near the quarrelsome people, for, my son, after jesting comes quarrel, after quarrel comes strife, and ⟨after strife⟩ arises murder.’ So Ahiqar ceased his words of wisdom which he had taught to Nadan. When Ahiqar showed the king all that Nadan had done with his properties and wealth, I, Ahiqar, who had taught this doctrine to Nadan, my sister's son, thought that he would retain all this doctrine in his heart, and that he would stand at the king's gate. I did not know that he had not listened to my words and had cast them - as it were - to the wind. And he used to say: "Ahiqar, my father, has grown old and lost his mind.” And Nadan, my son, appropriated my properties and squandered my wealth, and did not spare

[...] is. And he sent it to me with two men, that he wrote in the name of Ahiqar. Then my son Nadan, took one of the letters as if he had found it, and he read it before the king. And when the king heard (it), he was very angry. And the king was enraged with Ahiqar [and] said: "O God, what fault have I committed against Ahiqar?” Then Nadan answered to the king concerning Ahiqar. Then Nadan replied and said to the king: “Do not be angry, my lord the king. Let us walk now and go out to the Eagles’ Plain as it is written in this letter; by this we shall know

the truth of these things, and whatever you command shall be done." When the king had commanded that they should prepare to go up to the plain to see the truth of this matter, my son Nadan guided the king and they came [and] found me with my army in the Eagles’ Plain. And when I saw him coming, I set my army in array before him as for war, according to the letter which Nadan my son had sent me. And my son Nadan said to the king: "My lord king, go to your dwelling in peace; I will bring my father Ahiqar to you." And the king went to his home. Then Nadan came to his father Ahiqar with his message. My son Nadan came to me and he replied and said

"[...] the salt which we ate together, and do not think of my death. Remember that even you, the father of my lord the king, put you in my hands for killing you, but I did not kill you, because I knew that you had no fault, and I left you alive until the king asked for you and he gave me many presents. ^But now, keep me (alive) and let us not reveal a word (of this). Say (that) he has not been killed. Behold, in my prison, I have a man who deserves death; take my cloth and clothe him, and deliver him up to the Parthians, and they will kill him. While the man was being killed and delivered to the Parthians, they, in their drunkenness, killed that man. And the message spread throughout Assyria and Nineveh that Ahiqar had been slain." When the scribe Ahiqar was hidden, Nabusemakh

and Eshfagni, my wife, stood up and made me a hiding place under the earth—three cubits wide, four cubits long, and five cubits high—under the threshold of the house. They put bread and water by me and left, and showed my lord the king that Ahiqar had been killed. And this was said by the king: "Woe to you, Ahiqar, the wise and the scribe, the repairer of the breaches of the city, who has perished by the words of a boy." Then the king ordered my son Nadan to make a funeral for me. The king called my son Nadan and said to him: "Go, make funeral for your father.” And my son Nadan came to my house and did not make a funeral for me, and did not remember me, but gathered lustful men, and they stayed, singing and rejoicing, eating and drinking [together].

And he stripped [the clothes] and beat my servants and maids, and he brought shame even upon my wife, who had brought him up, and he wanted something that a man and his wife do together. When Ahiqar offered prayer to God in the dark well, I heard the sound of the bakers and cooks, and also the cupbearers, while they were crying and prostrating. And I offered unceasing prayer and supplication to Him who lives eternally. After (a few) days, NabusemakhpersName> came and opened [the door] before me and gave me bread and water. I said this: “Remember me before the king, and on my behalf, say to him: "O, Lord, God, just and good in Heaven and on Earth, behold, is it not Ahiqar who took refuge in you and offered you fattened oxen? Behold, he is thrown into the dark well, where no fire falls. Hear,

my lord, by the voice of your servant and have mercy upon him.”

Thereupon, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, sent a letter to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria and Nineveh. When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, heard that I, Ahiqar, had been slain, he rejoiced greatly and sent a letter to King Esarhaddon. He wrote in it: "From Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting[s]. Esarhaddon received the pharaoh’s ambassadors with the letter and he read it: “I have a fortress, and it shall be built between heaven and earth. Look, send me a wise man, an architect, so that he may answer me in all that I ask.

[...] be covered in black and purple, and the king put on purple garments. Then Pharaoh commanded Ahiqar to enter, and I entered. He said to me: "What am I like, Abiqam, and what are my nobles like?" And I replied and said to him: "You, [O] King, are like the moon, and your nobles are like the stars." And again he said to me: "Go, Abiqam, and come to me tomorrow." Then Pharaoh commanded to his nobles to change the garments. And the Pharaoh commanded his nobles: "Tomorrow, dress yourselves in dyed and variegated garments, and let the doors of the palace be covered with red hangings." The king himself dressed in fine needlework. Then Pharaoh commanded [me] to enter, and I entered. And he replied and said to me: "What am I like, and what are my nobles like?"

And I answered him: "You are like Nisan, and your nobles [are like] its flowers." When the king heard [this], he was filled with great joy and said to me: "Abiqam, one time you compared me to Bel, and my nobles to his priests. The second time, you compared me to the sun, and my nobles to its rays. The third time, you compared me to the moon, and my nobles to the star. The fourth time, you compared me to Nisan, and my nobles to its flowers. Now tell me, what is Esarhaddon like?" Ahiqar answered Pharao. Then I replied and said to him: "Far be it from you, that I should mention my lord the king Esarhaddon, while you are sitting. For my lord Sennacherib is like the God of Heaven, and his nobles are like the lightning. Whenever he wills, he brings dew, rain, and hail. When he rises to the sky,

he thunders and moves, and he hinders the sun from rising and its rays from being seen. He hinders Bel and his priests from entering and leaving the streets, and he prevents the moon from rising and the stars from appearing. If he wants to command the north, (it) brings wind, hail, and rain. He will strike down Nisan and destroy [its] flowers." When the king heard this, he became very angry. Then Pharao asked Ahiqar his name and said to him: "You are Ahiqar?" Then Pharaoh said: "Truly, by the life of your lord Esarhaddon, what is your name?" I answered and said to him: "I am Ahiqar, the scribe and seal of King Esarhaddon." The king said to me: "You are alive?” and I said: “I am alive, and my lord, King Esarhaddon,

has seen me, and life has been prolonged for me, and God has saved me from what my hands did not do." The king said to me: "Go and come to me tomorrow, and tell me a word that has not been heard by me, nor by any of my nobles, nor in the city of Egypt." Then Ahiqar wrote the word that Pharaoh asked for. So I, Ahiqar, went far away and wrote a letter that said this: "From Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to Esarhaddon, King of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting[s]! Kings need kings, and judges need judges. And at this time, we are in need, for my gifts have diminished, and silver is lacking in my treasuries; however, command

900 talents, and in a little while I will restore them to their place." I rolled up this letter and brought it before him. I said: "Neither your nobles nor [anyone] in Egypt has heard a word like what is written in this letter; even you and those [with you] have not heard all (of it), and it is true.” And when they read the letter, they were amazed, and the king said to me: “Ahiqar, build me a castle between the earth and the sky, and its height from the earth shall be a thousand ells." At that hour, he [sc. Ahiqar] let out the eaglets from their places and tied the ropes to their feet in a measured way, and set the boys on them; and they said: "Send up mud, mortar, tiles, and bricks

to the king’s architects who are idle; and the meadows we worked on with them made us drunk." When the nobles saw this, they were astonished. Then I, Ahiqar, took a rod and beat those nobles until they fled, because they were waiting for something that was needed for the building. Then the king said to me: "You rave wildly, Ahiqar; who is able to carry what they are asking for?" And I said to him: "Now, why are you putting the name of my lord Esarhaddon in your mouth? But if he were here, and he want to build (something), he would build two castles in one day." [The king said to me:] "Get out of the lighthouse, and come to me tomorrow.” And when morning came, I entered to him, and he said

to me: “Ahiqar, explain this matter me that has befallen us: the lustful horse of your lord neighs in Assyria and Nineveh, and our mares hear his voice here, and their foals miscarry." So, I went out from the presence of the king, and I commanded my servants to catch a cat for me, and I whipped it until the Egyptians heard it, and they went and said before the king: "This Ahiqar carried a cat, caught and whipped it." When the king heard this, he said to me: "Why are you insulting our gods?” However, I said to him: "King, live forever! This cat has done me serious harm. My lord entrusted me a rooster whose voice was very

beautiful. And whenever I wanted to go to the king's gate, for the king asked for me, at that time he crowed and I was awakened from my sleep, and I went to the king’s gate. And from everlasting, this is not good, that this cat has done this to me: on this night, this cat came before me and went to Assyria and Niniveh and tore off the head of this rooster and returned." Then the king said to me: "Since you have grown old, you forget that there are 360 parasangs between Assyria and Egypt. How could this cat go, cut off the head of the rooster, and return [in one night]?" Then I said to him: "If there are 360 parasangs between Assyria and Egypt, [and] your mares hear

the voice of my lord's horse and miscarry their foals, then ⟨also⟩ this cat (is able to do what I said)!" When the king heard this, he was ashamed and said to me: "O Ahiqar, one word remains from me to tell you: I have one great pillar, and above it, there are twelve cedars planted; and above each of the cedars, there are thirty wheels, and above one wheel there are two (ropes), one white and one black". Then I said to the king: "My lord, King, this parable that you have said, [even] the cattle-breeders know it: My lord, King, the pillar you mentioned is the year; and the twelve cedars are the months of the year; the thirty wheels are the days of the month; and the two ropes, one white

and the other black, are the day and the night." Again he said to me: “Let my (say) one thing I am asking of you: make me two ropes from the sand that are five ells long, and their inner part shall be like a little toe.” And I said to him: "Command, my lord, King, that they bring me a rope of sand from your treasury, and I will make one like it for you." So he said to me: "I do not know what you are saying. If you do not make the rope for me like the one I described to you, you shall not receive the tribute of Egypt." So I went out from the king and passed the night in much thought, and when morning came, I had an idea. I went out and came until behind the temple where the king sat, and I bored a hole in the wall opposite of the sun.

And the sun entered in the temple’s wall, and in that wall, I bore another hole and I filled (it) with sand; and I threw in a hole and saw in the city that the sun was broken. And I answered and said to the king: "Please, my lord, king, the first rope is going around the first one, and as you wanted, I have done for you." And when the king and all of his nobles saw this, they were astonished and ashamed. Then the king commanded, and they brought me the upper part of a broken millstone, and the king answered and said to me: "Ahiqar, sew up this millstone for us." At the same hour, I took a mortar of a millstone and threw it before them, and I said to him: "My lord, since I am a stranger here and the tools of my trade are not

near to me, I have not found anything that I was asking for. Command your cobblers to bring me a pot from this mortar, which is the companion of the millstone, and in that hour I will sew it up." When the king heard this, he laughed and said: "O, alas, the day on which you were born, Ahiqar, shall be blessed before the gods of Egypt; and since I have seen you alive, I will make a great feast." The departure of Ahiqar from Egypt and his return to King Esarhaddon. And when King Pharaoh was defeated in everything, and I stood up against his findings, and I solved and made void the tricks and riddles, and he gave me the tribute of Egypt for three years and 900 talents that were written in that letter. I took these [talents] that he had borrowed from my lord, the king, for they all confessed:

"We all have heard it." I took the talents from the king and the honour from his nobles, and I came immediately before Esarhaddon. When Ahiqar returned from Egypt, the king came out to meet me and received me. He made a great day for me and made me sit at the head of his household; and he said to me: "Ask whatever you will, Ahiqar, and take it." I said to him: "My lord the king, I am serving for your honour! Whatever you will give me, give it to Nabusemakh, for he has given me my life. I want my sister’s son Nadan, that I may teach him a new doctrine, for he did not accept my former doctrine." The king commanded and they gave me my sister’s son Nadan. The king said: "Go, Ahiqar, to your house and do whatever you like with your son Nadan, for no one will save his body from your hands."

And I took Nadan, my son, and brought him into my house, and bound him with an iron chain, the weight of which was nine talents, and cast his hands into vessels, and put an iron band around his neck, and struck him a thousand blows on his shoulders, and a thousand and one on his heart, and put him in the porch of the door of my court, and gave him bread by weight, and water by measure. I gave Nadan to my servant Nabulhal to guard him, and I said: "Write down on a tablet all that I am saying to my son Nadan when I go in and when I come out." I answered and said- from this place, he utters a teaching that Ahiqar taught earlier to his sister’s son Nadan - and he said to him: ‘My son, who[ever] does not listen with his ears will be made to listen with his neck.’

‘My son Nadan answered and said to me: "My lord, why are you angry with your sister’s son?" And again, I said to him: "My son, I set you on the throne of honour, but you cast me down from my throne. But my righteousness has saved me."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a scorpion striking a ram’s rock." And it [the rock] answered and said to it: "You have struck at a calm heart." And again it said: "You have struck at a sting worse than yours." And again he struck the camel in its hoof, and it raised its head to the sky and said to it: "Your soul shall feel like my soul."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a goat standing over a red berry and eating from it. And the red berry said to him: "Why do you eat me, behold, when you treat your skin with my root?" The goat replied and said to it: "I eat you during my life, and after my death, they will pull you up by your roots."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like the one who threw a stone at heaven, and it did not reach heaven, but he received punishment from God.’ ‘My son, you were like’

‘My son, you were like the one who saw his companion shivering with cold and took a pitcher of water and poured it over him.’ ‘Oh, my son, if you had killed me, you would have been able to stand in my place; but you should know, my son, that even if the tail of the pig were to grow to seven ells, it would not take the place of the horse, and even if its bristles were soft and woven, it would not ascend to the body of a free man.’ ‘My son, I intended that you should be in my place, that you should acquire my house and my wealth, and that you should inherit them. But God was not pleased, and He did not hear your voice.’ ‘You have been to me like ^{a lion} that came upon a donkey in the morning of the day, and said to him, "Welcome, my Lord Cyrus." The donkey replied and said to the lion: "May the same welcome that you give me be given to the man who tied me up last night, but did not tie my loins, lest I should see your face."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a snare that was set on a dunghill, and a ⟨fig-pecker⟩ saw it and said: "What are you doing here?" And this snare said to it: "I am praying to God."’

‘My son, you have been to me like a ploughman who sowed a field that contains twenty seahs, and when he reaped it, brought twenty seahs forth. And the ploughman replied and said to it: "I became wearied of you, field! ’ ‘But you were not ashamed that you have made a peck out of a peck." ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a he-goat that calls its fellows to the kitchen, but does not save itself from slaughter. ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a dog that went into the potter's oven to warm itself, and when it was warm, it got up to blow at them. ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a swine that had gone to the bathhouse, and when it saw a trench of mud, it went down and bathed in it, and said to them: "Come and bathe!" ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like “My finger was on your mouth, and your finger was on my eyes.” ’ ‘My son, the dog that did not eat from [his lord’s prey] shall be the prey of the wolves, and the hand that is not industrious shall be cut off from its shoulder, and the eye with which I cannot see shall be plucked out by the raven.’ ‘My son, why shall I remember you? ’ ‘My son, if she steals land, where shall she go and eat it? ’ ‘My son, I showed you the face of the king and nobles, ’

‘and I let you receive great honour, but you rewarded me for my good deeds with evil; for the evil deeds, what shall I reward you? ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like the cat to whom they say: "Give up thine thieving, and thou shalt go out and come in as your soul pleased." And this cat said to them: "Even if I had eyes of silver and hands of gold and feet of pearls, I would not stop stealing." ’ ‘My son, you were to me like a snake that was tied to a bush and went to the river. And the lion saw it and said: "Evil rides on evil, and worse than either carries them away." The snake said to this lion: "Behold, lord, would you return the goats to their lords?" ’ ‘My son, you have been to me like colts that have become murderers of their mothers. ’ ‘My son, I fed you with all that was good all days, but you fed me with bread of the soil, and you were not satisfied. ’ ‘My son, I anointed you with sweet ointments, but you ’

‘defiled my body with dust; I made you drink old wines, and you did not satisfy me with water in abundance. ’ ‘My son, you were to me like a mole that ascended from the ground to confront God to His eyes. An eagle came, carried it off, and killed it. ’ ‘My son Nadan answered and said to me: "These happenings without mercy shall be far from you, my lord! Do unto me according to your mercy: for even God forgives a man his faults when he sins; and you, too, forgive me, so that I may serve your horses, and feed your sheep and swine. I shall be called an evil man, but you shall be called good."’

‘I answered and said to him: "My son, you have been to me like a palm tree which stood by the road and its fruit was not accepted. And its master came and wanted to cut it down, this palm tree said to him: 'Leave me one year, and I will give you carobs.' His master said to him: 'O fool, ’ ‘you have not been diligent in your own fruit; will you be diligent with that which is not your own?'" ’

‘My son, the old age of the eagle is better than the youth of the vulture.’ ‘My son, they say to the wolf: "Be far away from the sheep!" It said: "The dust is good for my eyes." They said to him: "A, B," and the wolf said: "Kid, lamb."’ ‘My son! They put the head of the donkey on a table, and it rolled off and fell into the dust. They said: "It was angry with itself because it did not receive honour, but wrath."’ ‘He began with a word, my son, that said: "Call him whom you have begotten your son, and he whom you raised, [call] a slave." My son! More than all words this is true: "Lead your sister's son under your armpit, take him and strike him against a stone." But, my son, He who gave me life will judge between us."’ At that hour, he swelled up like a bladder, burst, and died. To the one who does good, good shall be found, and to the one who does evil, evil will be found. The one who digs a pit for his friend fills it with his [own] stature.