[... year]. [It was said to me: "You will not have a son."] I had great wealth; I took sixty wives and built sixty castles for myself, yet from none of them did I have a son. So I built me a great altar of incense, and I swore, saying: "O Lord God, give me a male child, that when I die, he may place dust upon my eyes. Then I heard a voice saying: "O Ahiqar, do not grieve, for you shall not have a son. But behold, Nadan, your sister's son—make him your son, [so that] when he grows up, you may teach him everything. When I heard this, I took Nadan, my sister's son, and he became my son... So I said to him: ‘"Hear my teaching, my son Nadan, and come to my understanding, and be mindful of my words, according to the following sayings."’ Then Ahiqar began to teach Nadan, his sister's son, and he answered and said to him: ‘My son, when you hear a word, let it die in your heart, and do not reveal it to anyone, lest it become a hot coal in your mouth and burn you, and you brand disgrace upon yourself, become hated on earth, and complain angrily against God.’ ‘My son, do not tell all that you see, and do not reveal all that you hear.’ ‘My son, do not loosen a knot that is sealed, nor seal one that is loosened.’ ‘My son, sweeten your tongue and be mindful of the opening of your mouth, for the tail of a dog gives him bread, but his mouth brings blows.’ ‘My son, the human eye is a well, and it is not satisfied with riches until’

‘[it is filled with dust].’ ‘[My son, when] you lift up your eyes [and see a woman bedizened] and beautified, do not desire her [in your heart. For if you give her all that is in your hands,] you will find no [benefit] in her, and you will be guilty of sin before God.’ ‘My son, do not linger in the house of strife, for from a word comes a quarrel, and from a quarrel comes anger, and from anger comes murder.’ ‘My son, if a house could be built by a loud voice, the donkey would build two houses in one day; and if the plough were driven by sheer force, its ploughshare would never be loosed from a camel's armpit.’ ‘It is better to roll stones with a wise man than to drink wine with a fool.’ ‘My son, you will not be defiled with a wise [man], nor will you become wise with a defiled man.’ ‘My son, associate yourself with a wise [man] in order to become wise like him; and do not associate yourself with a fool, in order not to be numbered with him.’ ‘While you have shoes on your feet, tread down the thorns and make a path for your sons and grandsons.’ ‘My son, the rich [man] has eaten a serpent, and they are saying: "He ate it for medicine"; but [when] the poor [man] ate it, they were saying: "He ate it for his hunger."’ ‘My son, eat your portion and do not stretch out your hand to your friend.’ ‘My son, do not eat bread with [a man] who is not ashamed.’ ‘My son, when you see that your enemy has fallen, do not mock him, lest he rise up and repay you.’ ‘My son, do not envy your enemy's happiness, nor rejoice in his misfortune.’ ‘My son, do not go near a fierce and talkative woman, nor one who has a loud voice. For the beauty of a woman is her good sense, and the word of her mouth is her adornment.’ ‘My son, if your enemy meets you with evil, meet him with excellence.’ ‘My son, when you see a man older than you, stand up before him.’