¹⁷ Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.

⁶³ I keep company with all your worshippers, and those who have your orders in their memory.

³³ Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour.

⁵ Better is open protest than love kept secret.

⁶ The wounds of a friend are given in good faith, but the kisses of a hater are false.

⁷ The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.

¹⁰ Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their work.

¹⁰ And if one has a fall, the other will give him a hand; but unhappy is the man who is by himself, because he has no helper.

¹¹ So again, if two are sleeping together they are warm, but how may one be warm by himself?

²⁰ Go with wise men and be wise: but he who keeps company with the foolish will be broken.

¹⁷ A friend is loving at all times, and becomes a brother in times of trouble.

¹³ Greater love has no man than this, that a man gives up his life for his friends.

¹⁴ You are my friends, if you do what I give you orders to do.

¹⁵ No longer do I give you the name of servants; because a servant is without knowledge of what his master is doing: I give you the name of friends, because I have given you knowledge of all the things which my Father has said to me.

¹⁶ You did not take me for yourselves, but I took you for myself; and I gave you the work of going about and producing fruit which will be for ever; so that whatever request you make to the Father in my name he may give it to you.

⁹ Oil and perfume make glad the heart, and the wise suggestion of a friend is sweet to the soul.

¹¹ My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another.

¹² No man has ever seen God: if we have love for one another, God is in us and his love is made complete in us:

¹³ And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us.

¹ <A Song of the going up. Of David.> See how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony!

² It is like oil of great price on the head, flowing down over the face, even Aaron's face: coming down to the edge of his robe;

³ Like the dew of Hermon, which comes down on the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord gave orders for the blessing, even life for ever.

²⁴ Do not be friends with a man who is given to wrath; do not go in the company of an angry man:

²⁵ For fear of learning his ways and making a net ready for your soul.

²⁶ Be not one of those who give their hands in an agreement, or of those who make themselves responsible for debts:

⁶ Most men make no secret of their kind acts: but where is a man of good faith to be seen?

¹⁶ In this we see what love is, because he gave his life for us; and it is right for us to give our lives for the brothers.

¹⁷ But if a man has this world's goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?

¹⁸ My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.

¹⁹ In this way we may be certain that we are true, and may give our heart comfort before him,

¹² This is the law I give you: Have love one for another, even as I have love for you.

¹³ Greater love has no man than this, that a man gives up his life for his friends.

¹⁴ You are my friends, if you do what I give you orders to do.

²⁴ There are friends who may be a man's destruction, but there is a lover who keeps nearer than a brother.

²³ And the holy Writings were put into effect which said, And Abraham had faith in God and it was put to his account as righteousness; and he was named the friend of God.

⁴ Wealth makes a great number of friends; but the poor man is parted from his friend.

¹⁰ Be kind to one another with a brother's love, putting others before yourselves in honour;