Instruction of Amenemope

Instruction of Amenemope

Beginning of the teaching for life, the instruction for well-being, every rule for dealing with elders and for conduct toward magistrates; for knowing how to answer one who speaks, and how to reply to one who sends a message; for setting a man upon the paths of life, for causing him to prosper upon earth, for letting his heart enter its shrine, steering it away from evil, for saving him from the speech of strangers, and causing him to be praised in the mouths of men.

Made by the overseer of fields, experienced in his office, the offspring of a scribe of Egypt; the overseer of grain who controls the measure, who assigns the harvest dues for his lord, who registers newly formed islands in the great name of His Majesty, who records the boundary markers of fields, who acts for the king in the assessment of taxes, and who makes the land-register of the Black Land; the scribe who determines the offerings of all the gods, who grants land-leases to the people, the overseer of grain, provider of food, who fills the granary with grain; the truly silent one in the Thinite district, justified in Ipu, who owns a tomb west of Senu and a chapel at Abydos: Amenemope, son of Kanakht, justified in the Thinite district.

For his son, the youngest of his children, the least of his household, the servant of Min-Kamutef, the water-pourer of Wennefer, who establishes Horus upon the throne of his father, who guards him in his noble shrine, the watcher of the Mother of the God, inspector of the black cattle upon the terrace of Min, who protects Min in his shrine: Horemmaakher is his true name, child of a nobleman of Ipu, son of Tawosre, the sistrum-player of Shu and Tefnut and chief musician of Horus.

He says:

Chapter One

Give your ears and hear the sayings; give your heart to understand them. It is good to place them in your heart, but woe to the one who neglects them. Let them rest in the casket of your belly; let them be fastened within your heart. When a whirlwind of words arises, they will be a mooring-post for your tongue. If you pass your life with these words in your heart, you will find it prosperous. You will find my sayings a storehouse of life, and your body will flourish upon earth.

Chapter Two

Guard yourself from robbing the poor and from oppressing the afflicted. Do not stretch out your hand against an old man, nor seize the speech of a great one. Do not allow yourself to be sent on an evil errand, and do not befriend the one who performs it. Do not raise a cry against the one who attacks you, and do not answer him by yourself.

The one who does evil is rejected by the riverbank; its flood sweeps him away. The north wind descends to finish his hour; it joins with the thunderstorm, the cloud rises high, and the crocodiles are fierce. O heated man, what has become of you? He cries out, and his voice reaches heaven; the Moon declares his offence.

Steer, so that we may ferry the wicked one across, for we will not act according to his kind. Raise him up and give him your hand; place him in the hands of the god. Fill his belly with bread from your own store, that he may be satisfied and may see. Another thing pleasing to the heart of the god is to pause before speaking.

Chapter Three

Do not begin a quarrel with a hot-mouthed man, and do not provoke him with words. Hold back before an intruder; yield before an aggressor; sleep upon the matter before you speak.

A storm that bursts like fire in dry straw: such is the heated man in his hour. Withdraw from him and leave him alone; the god knows how to answer him. If you live with these words in your heart, your children will see them and follow them.

Chapter Four

The heated man within the temple is like a tree growing inside a building: its shoots endure only a moment, and its end is in the woodshed; or it is floated far from its place, and flame becomes its burial cloth.

The truly silent man, who keeps apart, is like a tree growing in a meadow. It flourishes and doubles its fruit; it stands before its lord. Its fruit is sweet and its shade pleasant, and its end is in the garden.

Chapter Five

Do not falsify the rations of the temple. Do not grasp, and you will find gain. Do not remove a servant of the god in order to favour another. Do not say, “Today is like tomorrow.” How can you know how it will end?

Tomorrow comes and today has vanished. The deep becomes the water’s edge; crocodiles lie exposed and hippopotami are stranded; the fish are crowded together, jackals are satisfied, birds feast, and the nets are emptied. Yet all the silent ones in the temple say, “Great is the blessing of Re.” Hold fast to the silent man and you will find life, and your being will prosper upon earth.

Chapter Six

Do not move the markers at the boundaries of fields. Do not shift the position of the measuring cord. Do not desire even a cubit of land, and do not encroach upon the boundary of a widow.

The furrow trampled and worn down by time— the man who conceals it in the fields, who traps it by false oaths, will be seized by the might of the Moon. Know the one who does this upon earth: he is an oppressor of the weak, an enemy who labours to destroy your body. The taking of life is in his eye. His house is an enemy of the town; his granaries will be destroyed, his wealth torn from the hands of his children, and his possessions given to another.

Beware of destroying field boundaries, lest terror carry you away. A man pleases the god through the power of the Lord when he respects the boundaries of fields. Desire that your own being remain sound; beware of the Lord of All.

Do not erase another man’s furrow; it is profitable for you to preserve it. Plough your own fields and you will find what you need; you will receive bread from your own threshing-floor. Better is one measure given by the god than five thousand gained through wrongdoing. Such wealth does not remain a day in bin or barn and provides no food for the beer jar. Its stay in the granary is only a moment; morning comes, and it has vanished. Better is poverty in the hand of the god than riches in a storehouse. Better is bread with a joyful heart than wealth accompanied by distress.

Chapter Seven

Do not set your heart upon riches; none can disregard Shay and Renenet. Do not let your heart wander, for every man comes to his appointed hour. Do not labour to seek increase; let what you possess be enough for you.

If riches come to you through theft, they will not remain with you through the night. Morning comes, and they are no longer in your house. Their place is visible, but they are not there. The earth opened its mouth, levelled them and swallowed them, and made them sink into the Duat. They made a pit as great as themselves and descended into the netherworld; or they made themselves wings like geese and flew away into the sky.

Do not rejoice over wealth obtained by theft, and do not complain because you are poor. If the leading archer rushes forward, his company abandons him. The boat of the greedy is left in the mud, but the vessel of the silent man sails with the wind.

Pray to the Aten when he rises, saying, “Grant me well-being and health.” He will give you what is needed for this life, and you will be secure from fear.

Chapter Eight

Place your goodness in the hearts of men, and everyone will greet you. The uraei are welcomed; the serpent Apophis is spat upon. Guard your tongue from injurious speech, and others will love you. You will find your place within the temple and share in the bread-offerings of your lord. When you are revered and your coffin hides you, you will be safe from the power of the god.

Do not cry, “Crime!” against a man when the cause of his flight is hidden. Whether you hear something good or evil, do it outside, where it will not be heard. Place the good saying upon your tongue, but conceal the evil one within your belly.

Chapter Nine

Do not befriend the heated man, and do not approach him for conversation. Keep your tongue from answering your superior, and take care not to insult him. Do not let his speech cast a rope around you, and do not give free rein to your reply. Speak with a man of your own measure, and take care not to vex him.

Speech is swift when the heart is wounded, swifter than wind upon water. He tears down and builds up with his tongue when he utters his hurtful speech. He gives an answer worthy of a beating, for the weight of it is harm. He carries freight like all the world, but his load is falsehood. He is the ferryman of ensnaring words; he goes and comes with quarrels. When he eats and drinks inside, his answer is heard outside. The day he is charged with his offence becomes disaster for his children.

If only Khnum would come to him, the potter to the fiery-mouthed man, and knead his heart anew. He is like a young wolf in the farmyard; he turns one eye against the other, causes brothers to quarrel, runs before every wind like clouds, dims the brightness of the sun, and lashes his tail like a young crocodile. [Meaning uncertain] His lips are sweet, but his tongue is bitter; a fire burns within his belly. Do not leap up to join such a man, lest terror carry you away.

Chapter Ten

Do not force yourself to greet the heated man, for then you injure your own heart. Do not say “Greetings” to him falsely while fear is within your belly. Do not speak falsely to a man; the god abhors it. Do not separate your heart from your tongue, so that all your undertakings may succeed. You will be weighty among others and secure in the hand of the god. The god hates the falsifier of words; he greatly abhors the one who quarrels within himself.

Chapter Eleven

Do not covet the possessions of a poor man, and do not hunger for his bread. The goods of the poor are a block in the throat; they make the gullet vomit. The one who profits through false oaths has a heart misled by his belly. Where there is fraud, success is weak, and the evil spoils the good.

You will be guilty before your superior and confused in your speech. Your pleas will be answered with a curse, and your prostrations with a beating. The great mouthful of bread you swallow you will vomit, and be emptied of your gain.

Look at the overseer who oppresses the poor when the staff overtakes him. All his people are bound in chains, and he is led to the executioner. Even if you are released by your superior, you remain hated by those beneath you. Keep away from the poor man’s goods upon the road; look at him, and leave his property alone.

Chapter Twelve

Do not desire the wealth of a nobleman, and do not take a great mouthful of his bread. If he appoints you to manage his property, keep away from what belongs to him, and what belongs to you will prosper. Do not seize upon the speech of a heated man, and do not befriend a hostile man.

If you are sent to carry straw, keep away from its container. If a man is discovered upon a fraudulent errand, he will never again be sent on another.

Chapter Thirteen

Do not defraud a man with pen upon scroll; the god abhors it. Do not bear witness with false words so as to thrust a man aside by your tongue. Do not assess a man who possesses nothing and thereby make your pen false.

If you find a great debt against a poor man, divide it into three parts: forgive two and allow one to remain. You will find it a path of life. After sleep, when you wake in the morning, you will find it like good news. Better is praise joined with the love of men than riches in the storehouse. Better is bread with a joyful heart than wealth accompanied by distress.

Chapter Fourteen

Do not call yourself repeatedly to a man’s attention, and do not labour to seek his hand. If he says to you, “Here is a gift,” no needy man will refuse it. Do not wink at him, lower your head, or turn away your gaze. Greet him with your mouth and say, “Peace.” He will cease, and you will succeed. Do not reject him when he approaches, for on another occasion he may be taken away.

Chapter Fifteen

Do what is good, and you will prosper. Do not dip your pen in order to injure a man, for the finger of the scribe is the beak of the ibis; beware of turning it aside. The Ape dwells in the House of Khmun, and his eye encircles the Two Lands. When he sees the one who cheats with his finger, he carries away his livelihood in the flood. The scribe who cheats with his finger— his son will not be enrolled. If you live with these words in your heart, your children will see and follow them.

Chapter Sixteen

Do not tamper with the scales or falsify the weights, and do not diminish the portions of the measure. Do not desire the measure of the fields while neglecting the measure of the treasury. The Ape sits beside the balance, and his heart is in the plummet. Where is there a god as great as Thoth, who devised these things and made them?

Do not make deficient weights for yourself; they are rich in grief through the power of the god. If you see a man who cheats, keep far from him. Do not covet copper, and do not desire fine linen. What good is a man clothed in splendour if he cheats before the god? Faience disguised as gold— morning comes, and it becomes lead.

Chapter Seventeen

Beware of disguising the measure and falsifying its portions. Do not force it to overflow, and do not leave its belly empty. Measure according to its true size, your hand sweeping it exactly. Do not make a bushel twice its proper size, for then you are headed toward the flood.

The bushel is the Eye of Re; it abhors the one who trims it. The measurer who delights in cheating— the Eye seals the judgement against him. Do not accept a farmer’s payment and then assess him so as to injure him. Do not conspire with the measurer to defraud the portion of the residence. The power of the threshing-floor is greater than an oath sworn by the great throne.

Chapter Eighteen

Do not lie down at night fearing tomorrow, saying, “When day comes, what will tomorrow be?” A man does not know how tomorrow will be. The god is always in his perfection; man is always in his failure. The words spoken by men are one thing, but the deeds of the god are another.

Do not say, “I have done no wrong,” and then labour to seek a quarrel. Wrongdoing belongs to the god; he seals the judgement with his finger. There is no perfection before the god, but failure stands before him. If a man labours to attain perfection, in a moment he has ruined it.

Keep your mind firm and steady your physical heart; do not steer by means of your tongue. Though a man’s tongue may be the rudder of a boat, the Lord of All remains its pilot.

Chapter Nineteen

Do not go before an official in the law court in order to make your words false. Do not waver in your answers when your witnesses accuse you. Do not labour with oaths by your lord or with speeches during the hearing. Tell the truth before the official, lest he lay his hand upon you. If you come before him on another day, he will incline toward all you say. He will carry your speech to the Council of Thirty, and it will be remembered on another occasion.

Chapter Twenty

Do not confuse a man in the law court in order to thrust aside the one who is right. Do not favour the well-dressed man and reject the one clothed in rags. Do not accept the gift of a powerful man and deprive the weak for his sake.

Maat is a great gift of the god; he gives it to whomever he wills. The power of the one who resembles him saves the poor from his oppressor.

Do not make false documents for yourself; they are a deadly provocation. They bring the great restraining oath and a hearing before the herald. Do not falsify the divine decisions in the scrolls and thereby disturb the plans of the god. Do not use the power of the god for yourself as though Shay and Renenet did not exist.

Return property to its owners; by this you seek life for yourself. Do not raise the desire of your heart in their house, or your bones will belong to the execution block.

Chapter Twenty-One

Do not say, “Find me a powerful superior, for a man in my town has injured me.” Do not say, “Find me a protector, for one who hates me has harmed me.” You do not know the plans of the god, and you should not weep over tomorrow. Settle yourself in the arms of the god; your silence will overthrow your enemies. The crocodile that makes no sound— its terror is ancient.

Do not pour out your belly before everyone and thereby destroy the respect shown to you. Do not broadcast your words among others, and do not join yourself to one who bares his heart. Better is the man whose speech remains in his belly than the one who tells it in order to do harm. One does not run and reach perfection; one does not create it in order to destroy it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Do not provoke your adversary so that he may reveal his thoughts. Do not leap forward to confront him when you have not seen what he is doing. First gain understanding from his answer; then remain still, and you will succeed. Leave him to empty his belly. Know how to sleep, and he will be exposed. Take hold of his feet; do not harm him. Be wary of him, but do not disregard him. You do not know the plans of the god, and you should not weep over tomorrow. Settle yourself in the arms of the god; your silence will overthrow your enemies.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Do not eat bread in the presence of an official and then place your mouth before his. If you are satisfied, pretend still to chew; be content with your own saliva. Look at the bowl that is before you and let it meet your need. An official is great in his office, as a well is rich in water drawn from it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Do not listen indoors to the private answer of an official in order to repeat it to another outside. Do not let your word be carried abroad, lest your heart be afflicted. The heart of a man is a gift of the god; beware of neglecting it. The man who stands beside an official— his name should not become known.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Do not laugh at a blind man, do not mock a dwarf, and do not cause hardship for the lame. Do not mock a man who is in the hand of the god, and do not be angry with him because of his failure. Man is clay and straw; the god is his builder. He tears down and builds up every day. By his will he makes a thousand men poor, and he makes a thousand men into chiefs when he is in his hour of life. Happy is the one who reaches the West while safe in the hand of the god.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Do not sit down in the beerhouse in order to join one greater than you, whether he is a young man great in office or an elder great by birth. Befriend a man of your own measure; Re is helpful from afar.

If you see one greater than you in the open, walk behind him respectfully. Give your hand to an elder overcome with beer; show him the respect his children would show. The arm is not injured by being uncovered, and the back is not broken by bending. A man does not lose by speaking gently, and he gains nothing when his speech is straw. The pilot who sees from far away will not wreck his boat.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Do not revile one older than you, for he has seen Re before you. Let him not report you to the Aten at his rising, saying, “A young man has reviled an old man.” Very painful before Re is the youth who reviles an elder. Let him strike you while your hand is upon your breast; let him rebuke you while you remain silent. If you come before him on the following day, he will give you food in abundance. A dog receives food from its master, and it barks for the one who feeds it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Do not seize a widow when you find her in the fields, and then be impatient with her answer. Do not refuse the oil in your jar to a stranger; double it before your brothers. The god loves the one who honours the poor more than the one who worships the wealthy.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Do not prevent people from crossing the river when you yourself travel freely in the ferry. When an oar is given to you in the midst of the deep, bend your arms and take it. It is no offence in the hand of the god if the sailor does not welcome you. Do not establish yourself as a ferryman upon the river and then labour only to seek the fare. Take payment from the one who is wealthy, and allow the poor man to pass.

Chapter Thirty

Look upon these thirty chapters: they inform and they educate. They are the foremost of all books; they make the ignorant wise. If they are read to the ignorant, he is purified through them. Be filled with them and place them in your heart. Become a man who interprets them, one who explains them as a teacher. The scribe who is skilled in his office is found worthy to become a courtier.

It is finished.

Written by Senu, son of the divine father Pemu.