Part 5
Who shall give praise to the Most High in the grave, instead of them which live and return thanks?
Thanksgiving perisheth from the dead, as from one that is not: he that is in life and health shall praise the Lord.
How great is the mercy of the Lord, and his forgiveness unto them that turn unto him!
For all things cannot be in men, because the son of man is not immortal.
What is brighter than the sun? yet this faileth: and an evil man will think on flesh and blood.
He looketh upon the power of the height of heaven: and all men are earth and ashes.
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=18= He that liveth for ever created all things in common.
The Lord alone shall be justified.
To none hath he given power to declare his works: and who shall trace out his mighty deeds?
Who shall number the strength of his majesty? and who shall also tell out his mercies?
As for the wondrous works of the Lord, it is not possible to take from them nor add to them, neither is it possible to track them out.
When a man hath finished, then he is but at the beginning; and when he ceaseth, then shall he be in perplexity.
What is man, and whereto serveth he? What is his good, and what is his evil?
The number of man’s days at the most are a hundred years.
As a drop of water from the sea, and a pebble from the sand; so are a few years in the day of eternity.
For this cause the Lord was longsuffering over them, and poured out his mercy upon them.
He saw and perceived their end, that it is evil; therefore he multiplied his forgiveness.
The mercy of a man is upon his neighbour; but the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh; reproving, and chastening, and teaching, and bringing again, as a shepherd doth his flock.
He hath mercy on them that accept chastening, and that diligently seek after his judgements.
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My son, to thy good deeds add no blemish; and no grief of words in any of thy giving.
Shall not the dew assuage the scorching heat? So is a word better than a gift.
Lo, is not a word better than a gift? And both are with a gracious man.
A fool will upbraid ungraciously; and the gift of an envious man consumeth the eyes.
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Learn before thou speak; and have a care of thy health or ever thou be sick.
Before judgement examine thyself; and in the hour of visitation thou shalt find forgiveness.
Humble thyself before thou be sick; and in the time of sins shew repentance.
Let nothing hinder thee to pay thy vow in due time; and wait not until death to be justified.
Before thou makest a vow, prepare thyself; and be not as a man that tempteth the Lord.
Think upon the wrath that shall be in the days of the end, and the time of vengeance, when he turneth away his face.
In the days of fulness remember the time of hunger, and poverty and want in the days of wealth.
From morning until evening the time changeth; and all things are speedy before the Lord.
A wise man will fear in everything; and in days of sinning he will beware of offence.
Every man of understanding knoweth wisdom; and he will give thanks unto him that found her.
They that were of understanding in sayings became also wise themselves, and poured forth apt proverbs.
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Go not after thy lusts; and refrain thyself from thine appetites.
If thou give fully to thy soul the delight of her desire, she will make thee the laughing-stock of thine enemies.
Make not merry in much luxury; neither be tied to the expense thereof.
Be not made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing, when thou hast nothing in thy purse.
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=19= A workman that is a drunkard shall not become rich: he that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little.
Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that cleaveth to harlots will be the more reckless.
Moths and worms shall have him to heritage: and a reckless soul shall be taken away.
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He that is hasty to trust is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall offend against his own soul.
He that maketh merry in his heart shall be condemned:
And he that hateth talk hath the less wickedness.
Never repeat what is told thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse.
Whether it be of friend or foe, tell it not; and unless it is a sin to thee, reveal it not.
For he hath heard thee, and observed thee, and when the time cometh he will hate thee.
Hast thou heard a word? let it die with thee: be of good courage, it will not burst thee.
A fool will travail in pain with a word, as a woman in labour with a child.
As an arrow that sticketh in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word in a fool’s belly.
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Reprove a friend; it may be he did it not: and if he did something, that he may do it no more.
Reprove thy neighbour; it may be he said it not: and if he hath said it, that he may not say it again.
Reprove a friend; for many times there is slander: and trust not every word.
There is one that slippeth, and not from the heart: and who is he that hath not sinned with his tongue?
Reprove thy neighbour before thou threaten him; and give place to the law of the Most High.
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All wisdom is the fear of the Lord; and in all wisdom is the doing of the law.
And the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom; and the prudence of sinners is not counsel.
There is a wickedness, and the same is abomination; and there is a fool wanting in wisdom.
Better is one that hath small understanding, and feareth, than one that hath much prudence, and transgresseth the law.
There is an exquisite subtilty, and the same is unjust; and there is one that perverteth favour to gain a judgement.
There is one that doeth wickedly, that hangeth down his head with mourning; but inwardly he is full of deceit,
Bowing down his face, and making as if he were deaf of one ear: where he is not known, he will be beforehand with thee.
And if for want of power he be hindered from sinning, if he find opportunity, he will do mischief.
A man shall be known by his look, and one that hath understanding shall be known by his face, when thou meetest him.
A man’s attire, and grinning laughter, and gait, shew what he is.
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=20= * * * There is a prosperity that a man findeth in misfortunes; and there is a gain that turneth to loss.
There is a gift that shall not profit thee; and there is a gift whose recompense is double.
There is an abasement because of glory; and there is that hath lifted up his head from a low estate.
There is that buyeth much for a little, and payeth for it again sevenfold.
He that is wise in words shall make himself beloved; but the pleasantries of fools shall be wasted.
The gift of a fool shall not profit thee; for his eyes are many instead of one.
He will give little, and upbraid much; and he will open his mouth like a crier: to-day he will lend and to-morrow he will ask it again: such an one is a hateful man.
The fool will say, I have no friend, and I have no thanks for my good deeds; they that eat my bread are of evil tongue.
How oft, and of how many, shall he be laughed to scorn!
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A slip on a pavement is better than a slip with the tongue; so the fall of the wicked shall come speedily.
A man without grace is as a tale out of season; it will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.
A wise sentence from a fool’s mouth will be rejected; for he will not speak it in its season.
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There is that is hindered from sinning through want; and when he taketh rest, he shall not be troubled.
There is that destroyeth his soul through bashfulness; and by a foolish countenance he will destroy it.
There is that for bashfulness promiseth to his friend; and he maketh him his enemy for nothing.
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A lie is a foul blot in a man: it will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.
A thief is better than a man that is continually lying; but they both shall inherit destruction.
The disposition of a liar is dishonour; and his shame is with him continually.
He that is wise in words shall advance himself; and one that is prudent will please great men.
He that tilleth his land shall raise his heap high; and he that pleaseth great men shall get pardon for iniquity.
Presents and gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and as a muzzle on the mouth, turn away reproofs.
Wisdom that is hid, and treasure that is out of sight, what profit is in them both?
Better is a man that hideth his folly than a man that hideth his wisdom.
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=22= A slothful man is compared to a stone that is defiled; and every one will hiss him out in his disgrace.
A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill: every man that taketh it up will shake out his hand.
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A father hath shame in having begotten an uninstructed son; and a foolish daughter is born to his loss.
A prudent daughter shall inherit a husband of her own; and she that bringeth shame is the grief of him that begat her.
She that is bold bringeth shame upon father and husband; and she shall be despised of them both.
Unseasonable discourse is as music in mourning; but stripes and correction are wisdom at every season.
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He that teacheth a fool is as one that glueth a potsherd together; even as one that waketh a sleeper out of a deep sleep.
He that discourseth to a fool is as one discoursing to a man that slumbereth; and at the end he will say, What is it?
Weep for the dead, for light hath failed him; and weep for a fool, for understanding hath failed him; weep more sweetly for the dead, because he hath found rest; but the life of the fool is worse than death.
Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead; but for a fool and an ungodly man, all the days of his life.
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Talk not much with a foolish man, and go not to one that hath no understanding: beware of him, lest thou have trouble; and so thou shalt not be defiled in his onslaught: turn aside from him, and thou shalt find rest; and so thou shalt not be wearied in his madness.
What shall be heavier than lead? And what is the name thereof, but a fool?
Sand, and salt, and a mass of iron, is easier to bear, than a man without understanding.
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Timber girt and bound into a building shall not be loosed with shaking: so a heart established in due season on well advised counsel shall not be afraid.
A heart settled upon a thoughtful understanding is as an ornament of plaister on a polished wall.
Pales set on a high place will not stand against the wind: so a fearful heart in the imagination of a fool will not stand against any fear.
He that pricketh the eye will make tears to fall; and he that pricketh the heart maketh it to shew feeling.
Whoso casteth a stone at birds frayeth them away: and he that upbraideth a friend will dissolve friendship.
If thou hast drawn a sword against a friend, despair not; for there may be a returning.
If thou hast opened thy mouth against a friend, fear not; for there may be a reconciling; except it be for upbraiding, and arrogance, and disclosing of a secret, and a treacherous blow: for these things every friend will flee.
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Gain trust with thy neighbour in his poverty, that in his prosperity thou mayest have gladness: abide stedfast unto him in the time of his affliction, that thou mayest be heir with him in his inheritance.
Before fire is the vapour and smoke of a furnace; so revilings before bloodshed.
I will not be ashamed to shelter a friend; and I will not hide myself from his face:
And if any evil happen unto me because of him, every one that heareth it will beware of him.
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Who shall set a watch over my mouth, and a seal of shrewdness upon my lips, that I fall not from it, and that my tongue destroy me not?
=23= O Lord, Father and Master of my life, abandon me not to their counsel; suffer me not to fall by them.
Who will set scourges over my thought, and a discipline of wisdom over mine heart? That they spare me not for mine ignorances, and my heart pass not by their sins:
That mine ignorances be not multiplied, and my sins abound not; and I shall fall before mine adversaries, and mine enemy rejoice over me.
O Lord, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look,
And turn away concupiscence from me.
Let not greediness and chambering overtake me; and give me not over to a shameless mind.
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Hear ye, my children, the discipline of the mouth; and he that keepeth it shall not be taken.
The sinner shall be overtaken in his lips; and the reviler and the proud man shall stumble therein.
Accustom not thy mouth to an oath; and be not accustomed to the naming of the Holy One.
For as a servant that is continually scourged shall not lack a bruise, so he also that sweareth and nameth God continually shall not be cleansed from sin.
A man of many oaths shall be filled with iniquity; and the scourge shall not depart from his house: if he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him; and if he disregard it, he hath sinned doubly; and if he hath sworn in vain, he shall not be justified; for his house shall be filled with calamities.
There is a manner of speech that is clothed about with death: let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob; for all these things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in sins.
Accustom not thy mouth to gross rudeness, for therein is the word of sin.
Remember thy father and thy mother, for thou sittest in the midst of great men; that thou be not forgetful before them, and become a fool by thy custom; so shalt thou wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse the day of thy nativity.
A man that is accustomed to words of reproach will not be corrected all the days of his life.
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Two sorts of men multiply sins, and the third will bring wrath: a hot mind, as a burning fire, will not be quenched till it be consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he hath burned out the fire.
All bread is sweet to a fornicator: he will not leave off till he die.
A man that goeth astray from his own bed, saying in his heart, Who seeth me? darkness is round about me, and the walls hide me, and no man seeth me; of whom am I afraid? the Most High will not remember my sins;
--And the eyes of men are his terror, and he knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and looking into secret places.
All things were known unto him or ever they were created; and in like manner also after they were perfected.
This man shall be punished in the streets of the city; and where he suspected not he shall be taken.
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=24= Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.
In the congregation of the Most High shall she open her mouth, and glory in the presence of his power.
I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth as a mist.
I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.
Alone I compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the depth of the abyss.
In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.
With all these I sought rest; and in whose inheritance shall I lodge?
Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment; and he that created me made my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy tabernacle be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.
He created me from the beginning before the world; and to the end I shall not fail.
In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him; and so was I established in Sion.
In the beloved city likewise he gave me rest; and in Jerusalem was my authority.
And I took root in a people that was glorified, even in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.
I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.
I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, and as rose plants in Jericho, and as a fair olive tree in the plain; and I was exalted as a plane tree.
As cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent of perfumes; and as choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant odour; as galbanum, and onyx, and stacte, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
As the terebinth I stretched out my branches; and my branches are branches of glory and grace.
As the vine I put forth grace; and my flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.
Come unto me, ye that are desirous of me, and be filled with my produce.
For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
They that eat me shall yet be hungry; and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
He that obeyeth me shall not be ashamed; and they that work in me shall not do amiss.
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All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God, even the law which Moses commanded us for a heritage unto the assemblies of Jacob.
It is he that maketh wisdom abundant, as Pishon, and as Tigris in the days of new fruits;
That maketh understanding full as Euphrates, and as Jordan in the days of harvest;
That maketh instruction to shine forth as the light, as Gihon in the days of vintage.
The first man knew her not perfectly; and in like manner the last hath not traced her out.
For her thoughts are filled from the sea, and her counsels from the great deep.
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And I came out as a stream from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.
I said, I will water my garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed; and, lo, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea.
I will yet bring instruction to light as the morning, and will make these things to shine forth afar off.
I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it unto generations of ages.
Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that diligently seek her.
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=25= In three things I was beautified, and stood up beautiful before the Lord and men: the concord of brethren, and friendship of neighbours, and a woman and her husband that walk together in agreement.
But three sorts of men my soul hateth, and I am greatly offended at their life: a poor man that is haughty, and a rich man that is a liar, and an old man that is an adulterer lacking understanding.
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In thy youth thou hast not gathered, and how shouldest thou find in thine old age?
How beautiful a thing is judgement for gray hairs, and for elders to know counsel!
How beautiful is the wisdom of old men, and thought and counsel to men that are in honour!
Much experience is the crown of old men; and their glorying is the fear of the Lord.
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There be nine things that I have thought of, and in mine heart counted happy; and the tenth I will utter with my tongue: a man that hath joy of his children; a man that liveth and looketh upon the fall of his enemies:
Happy is he that dwelleth with a wife of understanding; and he that hath not slipped with his tongue; and he that hath not served a man that is unworthy of him:
Happy is he that hath found prudence; and he that discourseth in the ears of them that listen.
How great is he that hath found wisdom! yet is there none above him that feareth the Lord.
The fear of the Lord passeth all things: he that holdeth it, to whom shall he be likened?
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Give me any plague but the plague of the heart; and any wickedness but the wickedness of a woman;
Any calamity, but a calamity from them that hate me; and any vengeance, but the vengeance of enemies.
There is no head above the head of a serpent; and there is no wrath above the wrath of an enemy.
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I will rather dwell with a lion and a dragon, than keep house with a wicked woman.
The wickedness of a woman changeth her look, and darkeneth her countenance as a bear doth.
Her husband shall sit at meat among his neighbours, and when he heareth it he sigheth bitterly.
All malice is but little to the malice of a woman: let the portion of a sinner fall on her.
As the going up a sandy way is to the feet of the aged, so is a wife full of words to a quiet man.
Throw not thyself upon the beauty of a woman; and desire not a woman for her beauty.
There is anger, and impudence, and great reproach, if a woman maintain her husband.
A wicked woman is abasement of heart, and sadness of countenance, and a wounded heart: a woman that will not make her husband happy is as hands that hang down, and palsied knees.
From a woman was the beginning of sin; and because of her we all die.