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So, whenever Ahikar went in or out, he Scolded Nadan, saying to him Wisely:

2) "O Nadan, my Boy! I have done to you all that is Good and Kind, while you have Rewarded me for it with what is Ugly and Bad, even with Murder in your Mind!

3) "O my Son, it is said in the Proverbs, 'He who does not Listen with his Ears, they will make him Listen with the Scruff of his Neck.'" And Nadan said, "For what Cause are you Angry with me?"

5) And Ahikar said to him, "Because I brought you up, and Taught Truths and Wisdom to you, and Gave to you Honor, Respect, and Admiration, and made you Great in this Kingdom, and Reared you with the Best of Breeding, and Seated you in my Place in the Kingdom, so that you might be my Heir in the World, and yet you Mistreated me with Murder in Mind, and Repaid me with my Ruin. However, the Supreme Ruler Knew that I was Wronged, and therefore he Saved me from the Snare that you had Set for me: beCause the Supreme Ruler Heals the Broken Hearts and Hinders the Envious and Haughty ones. O my Boy, you have been to me like the Scorpion, which, when it Strikes on Thin Brass, Pierces it. O my Boy, you are like the Gazelle in the Wilderness, who was Eating the Roots of the Madder Bush, and it said to her, 'Eat of me Today, and take your Fill on me; but, Tomorrow they will Tan your Hide in my Roots.' O my Boy, you have been to me like a Man who saw his Comrade Naked during the Chilly Time of Winter; and he took Cold Water and Poured it on him.

10) "O my Boy, you have been to me like a Man who took a Stone, and threw it up to Heaven, in Order to Stone his Creator with it. And the Stone did not Hit him, and did not even Reach High Enough to get his Attention; but, it became the Cause of Guilt, Sin, and Shame. O my Boy, if you had Honored me and Respected me and had Listened to my Words of Truth, you would have been my Heir, and would have Reigned Over my Dominions.

12) "O my Son, you should Know that if the Tail of the Dog or the Pig were 10 Cubits Long, it would not Approach to the Value of the Horse's Tail, even if it were like Silk! O my Boy, I Thought that you would have been my Heir at my Death; but you, through your Envy and your Insolence, Desired to Murder me; but, the Supreme Ruler Delivered me from your Cunning and Lying Ways.

14) "O my Son, you have been to me like a Trap, which was set up on the Dunghill, and there came a Sparrow and Found the Trap set up; and the Sparrow said to the Trap, 'What are you doing here?' Said the Trap, 'I am Praying here to God.' And the Meadowlark also Asked it, 'What is the Piece of Wood that you hold?' Said the Trap, 'That is a Young Oak Tree on which I Lean at the Time of Prayer.' Said the Lark, 'And what is that Thing in your Mouth?' Said the Trap, 'That is Bread and Food, which I Carry for all of the Hungry and Poor Souls who come near to me.' Said the Lark, 'Now then, may I come forward and Eat, since I am Hungry?' And the Trap said to him, 'Please come forward.' And the Lark Approached so that it might Eat; but, the Trap Sprang up and Seized the Lark by its Neck; and therefore, the Lark responded, saying to the Trap: 'If that is your Bread for the Hungry, God Accepts neither your Alms nor your Kind Deeds; and if that is your Fasting and your Prayers, God Accepts from you neither your Fast nor your Prayer, nor will God Perfect whatever is Good concerning you.' 

21) "O my Boy, you have been to me as a Lion, who made Friends with an Ass, and the Ass kept Walking in front of the Lion for a Time; and one Day the Lion Sprang upon the Ass and Ate it up! O my Boy, you have been to me like Weevils in the Wheat: beCause they do no Good for anything; but, they Spoil the Wheat and Gnaw on it until it is Utterly Ruined.

23) "O my Boy, you have been like a Man who Sowed 10 Measures of Wheat in his Field, and when it was Harvest Time, he arose and Reaped it, Garnered it, Threshed it, and Toiled over it with the very Utmost Care, and it turned out to be only 10 Measures. Therefore, its Master said to it, 'O you Lazy Thing, you have not Grown and you have not Shrunk; but, you have Caused me to Waste all of this Time and Labor, for nothing. Therefore, I will Feed you to the Chickens, and be Done with you, Forever!'

24) "O my Boy, you have been to me like the Partridge who had been Caught in the Net, and she could not Save herself from it; but, in Desperation, she Called Out to the other Partridges, so that they might also get Caught in the Net.

25) "O my Son, you have been to me like the Dog, who was Cold; and it went into the Potter's House to get Warm by the Furnace that Fired the Pottery; and when it had gotten Warm, it began to Bark at them; and therefore, they Chased it Out, and Beat it with a Stick, so that it might not Bite them!

27) "O my Son, you have been to me like the Washed Pig, who went into the Hot Bath with People of Quality and Dignity; and when it came Out of the Hot Bath, it saw a Filthy Hole with Water in it; and therefore, it went down into the Hole and Wallowed in the Mud and Filth, while Looking Satisfied with itself.

28) "O my Son, you have been to me like the Goat, who Joined its Comrades on their Way to the Sacrifice, and it was Unable to Save itself by any Means: because it was Determined to get another Bite of Corn!

29) "O my Boy, the Dog who is not Fed from its Hunting, becomes Food for Flies. O my Son, the Hand that does not Labor nor Help the Ox to Plow, which is Greedy and Cunning, shall be Cut Away from its Shoulder!

31) "O my Son, the Eye in which Light is not Seen, the Ravens will Pick at it and Pluck it Out!

32) "O my Boy, you have been to me like a Tree whose Branches they were Cutting, and it said to them, 'If something of me were not in your Hands, Truly you would be Unable to Cut me!'

33) "O my Boy, you are like the Cat to whom they said, 'Leave Off Thieving until we make for you a Chain of Gold, and Feed you with Sugar and Almonds.' And she said, 'I am not Forgetful of the Craft of my Father and Mother.'

35) "O my Son, you have been like the Serpent who was Riding on a Thorn Bush while he was in the midst of a River, and a Wolf saw them and said, 'Mischief upon Mischief, and let him who is more Mischievous than they Direct both of them.' And the Serpent said to the Wolf, 'The Lambs, Goats, and Sheep, which you have Eaten for all of your Life, will you Return them to their Fathers and Mothers, or not?' Said the Wolf, 'No.' And the Serpent said to him, 'I Think that after myself, you are the Worst of us.'

38) "O my Boy, I Fed you with Good Food, and yet you did not Feed me with Dry Bread. O my Boy, I Gave to you Sugared Water to Drink, and Good Syrup to put on your Bread, while you did not Give to me Water from the Well to Drink, nor even Remember me during my Sufferings!

40) "O my Boy, I Taught Truth to you, and brought you up as Best I could; and you Dug a Dungeon for me, in Order to Conceal me, while you Glutted yourself with other Fools on my Former Labors! O my Boy, I brought you up with the Best Upbringing, and Trained you like a Tall Cedar; and you have Twisted and Bent me Over to the Dust!

42) "O my Boy, it was my Hope concerning you that you would Build for me a Fortified Castle, so that I might be Protected from my Enemies; but, you became to me like one who Buries Gold in the Depth of the Earth: beCause of his Selfishness, when he could have Shared its Beauty with everyone who Passed by; but, the Supreme Ruler took Pity on me and Delivered me from your Cunning Devises.

43) "O my Boy, I Wished Well for you, and you Rewarded me with Evil and Hatefulness; but now, if I had the Heart to do it, I would Rip Out your Eyeballs, and Strip your Flesh from your Bones for Dog Food, and Cut Out your Tongue, and take Off your Head by Means of a Dull Sword, whereby I would begin Hacking at you from the Toes of your Feet, Upward, until I Chopped your Bones into Bits and Pieces; and thus I would Recompense you for your Abominable Deeds!"

44) Therefore, when Nadan Heard that Speech from his Uncle Ahikar, he said: "O my Uncle, Deal with me According to your Knowledge, and Forgive my Sins: because who is there who has Sinned like me, or who is there who Forgives like you? Therefore, Accept me, O my Uncle, and I will not do the likes to you again! Indeed, I will now Serve you in your House, and Groom your Horses, and Sweep up the Dung of your Cattle for the Garden and Orchard, and Feed your Sheep their Oats: because I am the Wicked One, while you are the Righteous One. Yes, I am the Guilty One, while you are the Forgiving One."

46) And Ahikar said to him, "O my Boy, you are like the Fruitless Tree, which Grew beside the River of Water, and its Master was Tempted to Cut it Down, and it said to him: 'Remove me to another Place, and if I do not Bear Fruit, then Cut me Down.' And its Master said to it, 'If you have not Borne any Fruit, being beside the River of Water, how shall you Bear Fruit when you are in another Place?'" And Nadan said, "O Ahikar, your Ignorant Wives Spoiled me, and Overflowed my Roots with far too much Water, Love and Kindness, when I was just a little Boy. Therefore, it would have been Better for me that I had been Born in a Harsh Wilderness with Snakes and Bears, so that I might have Learned to have Respect for Law and Order; but, behold, your Wives Spoiled me, and Rotted my Roots with too much Dung: because they Greatly Over-nourished me!" However, Ahikar had Lost his Patience with Nadan, and Refused to Hear any Truth that he might Confess; and therefore, he Walked away from him, and went on Muttering his Proverbs as he Walked into his Flower Garden; but, Nadan could still Hear him.

48) O my Boy, the Old Age of the Eagle is Better than the Youth of the Crow: beCause he has a Loftier View of Life and Death.

49) O my Boy, they said to the Wolf, "Keep Away from the Sheep, lest their Dust should Harm your Nostrils." And the Wolf said, "The Dregs of the Sheep's Milk are Good for my Eyes."

50) O my Boy, they made the Wolf go to School, so that he might Learn to Read, and they said to him: "Say, A, B, C." But, he said, "Lamb, Goat, and Calf in my Belly"!

51) O my Boy, they set the Ass down at the Table with Chinaware and Spiced Foods, and he got Drunk and Fell on the Ground, and Rolled himself in the Dust, and one said: "Let him Roll himself: because it is his Nature, and he will not Change."

52) O my Boy, the Saying has been Confirmed, which runs: "If you Beget a Boy, call him your Son; but, if you only Rear a Boy, call him your Slave."

53) O my Boy, he who does Good shall Meet with Good; but, he who does Evil shall Meet with Evil: because the Supreme Ruler Repays a Man According to the Measure of his Works and Words.

54) O my Boy, what shall I say more to you than these Sayings? Indeed, the Supreme Ruler Knows what is Hidden, and is Acquainted with the Mysteries and the Secrets of Life and Death; and he will Repay you and will Judge between me and you, and will Recompense you According to whatever you Deserve.

56) Now, when Nadan had Heard all of that Speech from his Uncle Ahikar, he Swelled up with Anger, being Infuriated that his Uncle would not Listen to him; and therefore, he Immediately became like a Blown Out Bladder; and his Limbs Swelled, yes, his Legs and his Feet and his Sides Swelled Out, until he was Torn Apart, and his Belly Burst Asunder, and his Entrails were Scattered all over the Room, and he Died a Double Death, and the Dogs and Hogs came in and Cleaned up his Remains, and thus he Perished from the Earth! Yes, his Latter End was Utter Destruction, and his Spirit was Sent to a Hellish Place, where he might be Born in a Harsh Wilderness with Snakes and Bears: so that he might get the Desires of his Heart: because he who Digs a Pit for his Brother, shall Fall into it; and he who Sets up Traps for his own Gain shall be Caught in them. And that is what Happened, and what we Found to be True about the Tale of Ahikar; and Praise be to God Forever for his Inspiration. Amen, and Peace to all who Believe.

60) This Chronicle was Finished with the Help of God and his Blest Son, King Solomon, whose Words of Truth and Wisdom Inspired it. May he be Exalted Forever. Amen, and AMEN!