20. ‘This is the way of an adulterous woman:she eats and wipes her mouthand says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21. ‘Under three things the earth trembles,under four it cannot bear up:
22. a servant who becomes king,a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23. a contemptible woman who gets married,and a servant who displaces her mistress.
24. ‘Four things on earth are small,yet they are extremely wise:
25. ants are creatures of little strength,yet they store up their food in the summer;
26. hyraxes are creatures of little power,yet they make their home in the crags;
27. locusts have no king,yet they advance together in ranks;
28. a lizard can be caught with the hand,yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
29. ‘There are three things that are stately in their stride,four that move with stately bearing:
30. a lion, mighty among beasts,who retreats before nothing;
31. a strutting cock, a he-goat,and a king secure against revolt.