1. If you wish to find among people a sincere,
Faithful, righteous, uncorrupted friend,

2. You will not see on the face of the earth
Anyone except envious and sons of the envious.

3. Your friend among them aids you in prosperity,
But in adversity and tribulation, he does not aid.

4. He speaks to you with words softer than silk,
Yet his actions tell of resolute betrayal.

5. Those who blame me for keeping away from them,
And those who reproach me for being aloof,

6. And those who demand witnesses from me for what
I have said, so as to deny what any witness denies,

7. I say to them, "Try and see what I have seen,
And be content with what every witness has witnessed."