8
Guard yourself against counselors, and know beforehand where their interest lies, since they too, will give advice for their own benefit and might cast the lot against you.
9
They might say to you, "Your way is good," but they will stand aside to see what will happen to you.
10
Don't consult with people who view you with suspicion; hide your plans from those who are jealous of you.
11
Don't consult with a woman about her rival, or with the cowardly about war; or with a merchant about business, or with a buyer about a sale; or with a slanderer about gratitude, or with the unmerciful about kindness; or with the idle about anything involving work, or with an annual laborer about finishing a job; or with a lazy household slave about a large task. Don't look to these persons for any advice.
12
Consult instead with a godly person whom you know keeps the commandments, who thinks the same way you do and will empathize with you if you fail.