Part 7
Good is set over against evil, and life over against death: so is the sinner over against the godly.
And thus look upon all the works of the Most High; two and two, one against another.
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And I awaked up last, as one that gleaneth after the grape-gatherers: by the blessing of the Lord I got before them, and filled my winepress as one that gathereth grapes.
Consider that I laboured not for myself alone, but for all them that seek instruction.
Hear me, ye great men of the people, and hearken with your ears, ye rulers of the congregation.
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To son and wife, to brother and friend, give not power over thee while thou livest; and give not thy goods to another, lest thou repent and make supplication for them again.
Whilst thou yet livest, and breath is in thee, give not thyself over to anybody.
For better it is that thy children should supplicate thee, than that thou shouldest look to the hand of thy sons.
In all thy works keep the upper hand; bring not a stain on thine honour.
In the day that thou endest the days of thy life, and in the time of death, distribute thine inheritance.
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Fodder, a stick, and burdens, for an ass; bread, and discipline, and work, for a servant.
Set thy servant to work, and thou shalt find rest: leave his hands idle, and he will seek liberty.
Yoke and thong will bow the neck: and for an evil servant there are racks and tortures.
Send him to labour, that he be not idle; for idleness teacheth much mischief.
Set him to work, as is fit for him; and if he obey not, make his fetters heavy.
And be not excessive toward any; and without judgement do nothing.
If thou hast a servant, let him be as thyself, because thou hast bought him with blood.
If thou hast a servant, treat him as thyself; for as thine own soul wilt thou have need of him: if thou treat him ill, and he depart and run away, which way wilt thou go to seek him?
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=34= Vain and false hopes are for a man void of understanding; and dreams give wings to fools.
As one that catcheth at a shadow, and followeth after the wind, so is he that setteth his mind on dreams.
The vision of dreams is as this thing against that, the likeness of a face over against a face.
Of an unclean thing what shall be cleansed? and of that which is false what shall be true?
Divinations, and soothsayings, and dreams, are vain: and the heart fancieth, as a woman’s in travail.
If they be not sent from the Most High in thy visitation, give not thy heart unto them.
For dreams have led many astray: and they have failed by putting their hope in them.
Without lying shall the law be accomplished; and wisdom is perfection to a faithful mouth.
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A well-instructed man knoweth many things; and he that hath much experience will declare understanding.
He that hath no experience knoweth few things: but he that hath wandered shall increase his skill.
In my wandering I have seen many things; and more than my words is my understanding.
Ofttimes was I in danger even unto death; and I was preserved because of these things.
The spirit of those that fear the Lord shall live; for their hope is upon him that saveth them.
Whoso feareth the Lord shall not be afraid, and shall not play the coward; for he is his hope.
Blessed is the soul of him that feareth the Lord: to whom doth he give heed? and who is his stay?
The eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him, a mighty protection and strong stay, a cover from the hot blast, and a cover from the noonday, a guard from stumbling, and a succour from falling.
He raiseth up the soul, and enlighteneth the eyes: he giveth healing, life, and blessing.
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He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is made in mockery; and the mockeries of wicked men are not well-pleasing.
The Most High hath no pleasure in the offerings of the ungodly; neither is he pacified for sins by the multitude of sacrifices.
As one that killeth the son before his father’s eyes is he that bringeth a sacrifice from the goods of the poor.
The bread of the needy is the life of the poor: he that depriveth him thereof is a man of blood.
As one that slayeth his neighbour is he that taketh away his living; and as a shedder of blood is he that depriveth a hireling of his hire.
One building, and another pulling down, what profit have they had but toil?
One praying, and another cursing, whose voice will the Lord listen to?
He that washeth himself after touching a dead body, and toucheth it again, what profit hath he in his washing?
Even so a man fasting for his sins, and going again, and doing the same; who will listen to his prayer? and what profit hath he in his humiliation?
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=37= Every friend will say, I also am his friend: but there is a friend, which is only a friend in name.
Is there not a grief in it even unto death, when a companion and friend is turned to enmity?
O wicked imagination, whence camest thou rolling in to cover the dry land with deceitfulness?
There is a companion, which rejoiceth in the gladness of a friend, but in time of affliction will be against him.
There is a companion, which for the belly’s sake laboureth with his friend, in the face of battle will take up the buckler.
Forget not a friend in thy soul; and be not unmindful of him in thy riches.
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Every counsellor extolleth counsel; but there is that counselleth for himself.
Let thy soul beware of a counsellor, and know thou before what is his interest (for he will take counsel for himself); lest he cast the lot upon thee,
And say unto thee, Thy way is good: and he will stand over against thee, to see what shall befall thee.
Take not counsel with one that looketh askance at thee; and hide thy counsel from such as are jealous of thee.
Take not counsel with a woman about her rival; neither with a coward about war; nor with a merchant about exchange; nor with a buyer about selling; nor with an envious man about thankfulness; nor with an unmerciful man about kindliness; nor with a sluggard about any kind of work; nor with a hireling in thy house about finishing his work; nor with an idle servant about much business: give not heed to these in any matter of counsel.
But rather be continually with a godly man, whom thou shalt have known to be a keeper of the commandments, who in his soul is as thine own soul, and who will grieve with thee, if thou shalt miscarry.
And make the counsel of thy heart to stand; for there is none more faithful unto thee than it.
For a man’s soul is sometime wont to bring him tidings, more than seven watchmen that sit on high on a watch-tower.
And above all this intreat the Most High, that he may direct thy way in truth.
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Let reason be the beginning of every work, and let counsel go before every action.
As a token of the changing of the heart, four manner of things do rise up, good and evil, life and death; and that which ruleth over them continually is the tongue.
There is one that is shrewd and the instructor of many, and yet is unprofitable to his own soul.
There is one that is subtil in words, and is hated; he shall be destitute of all food:
For grace was not given him from the Lord; because he is deprived of all wisdom.
There is one that is wise to his own soul; and the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy in the mouth.
A wise man will instruct his own people; and the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy.
A wise man shall be filled with blessing; and all they that see him shall call him happy.
The life of man is numbered by days; and the days of Israel are innumerable.
The wise man shall inherit confidence among his people, and his name shall live for ever.
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My son, prove thy soul in thy life, and see what is evil for it, and give not that unto it.
For all things are not profitable for all men, neither hath every soul pleasure in every thing.
Be not insatiable in any luxury, and be not greedy on the things that thou eatest.
For in multitude of meats there shall be disease, and surfeiting shall come nigh unto colic.
Because of surfeiting have many perished; but he that taketh heed shall prolong his life.
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=38= Honour a physician according to thy need of him with the honours due unto him: for verily the Lord hath created him.
For from the Most High cometh healing; and from the king he shall receive a gift.
The skill of the physician shall lift up his head; and in the sight of great men he shall be admired.
The Lord created medicines out of the earth; and a prudent man will have no disgust at them.
Was not water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known?
And he gave men skill, that they might be glorified in his marvellous works.
With them doth he heal a man, and taketh away his pain.
With these will the apothecary make a confection; and his works shall not be brought to an end; and from him is peace upon the face of the earth.
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My son, in thy sickness be not negligent; but pray unto the Lord, and he shall heal thee.
Put away wrong doing, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all manner of sin.
Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make fat thine offering, as one that is not.
Then give place to the physician, for verily the Lord hath created him; and let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him.
There is a time when in their very hands is the issue for good.
For they also shall beseech the Lord, that he may prosper them in giving relief and in healing for the maintenance of life.
He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hands of the physician.
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My son, let thy tears fall over the dead, and as one that suffereth grievously begin lamentation; and wind up his body according to his due, and neglect not his burial.
Make bitter weeping, and make passionate wailing, and let thy mourning be according to his desert, for one day or two, lest thou be evil spoken of; and so be comforted for thy sorrow.
For of sorrow cometh death, and sorrow of heart will bow down the strength.
In calamity sorrow also remaineth; and the poor man’s life is grievous to the heart.
Give not thy heart unto sorrow: put it away, remembering the last end:
Forget it not, for there is no returning again: him thou shalt not profit, and thou wilt hurt thyself.
Remember the sentence upon him; for so also shall thine be; yesterday for me, and to-day for thee.
When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest; and be comforted for him, when his spirit departeth from him.
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The wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he that hath little business shall become wise.
How shall he become wise that holdeth the plough, that glorieth in the shaft of the goad, that driveth oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose discourse is of the stock of bulls?
He will set his heart upon turning his furrows; and his wakefulness is to give his heifers their fodder.
So is every artificer and workmaster, that passeth his time by night as by day; they that cut gravings of signets, and his diligence is to make great variety; he will set his heart to preserve likeness in his portraiture, and will be wakeful to finish his work.
So is the smith sitting by the anvil, and considering the unwrought iron: the vapour of the fire will waste his flesh; and in the heat of the furnace will he wrestle with his work: the noise of the hammer will be ever in his ear, and his eyes are upon the pattern of the vessel; he will set his heart upon perfecting his works, and he will be wakeful to adorn them perfectly.
So is the potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is always anxiously set at his work, and all his handywork is by number;
He will fashion the clay with his arm, and will bend his strength in front of his feet; he will apply his heart to finish the glazing; and he will be wakeful to make clean the furnace.
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All these put their trust in their hands; and each becometh wise in his own work.
Without these shall not a city be inhabited, and men shall not sojourn nor walk up and down therein.
They shall not be sought for in the council of the people, and in the assembly they shall not mount on high; they shall not sit on the seat of the judge, and they shall not understand the covenant of judgement: neither shall they declare instruction and judgement; and where parables are they shall not be found.
But they will maintain the fabric of the world; and in the handywork of their craft is their prayer.
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=39= Not so he that hath applied his soul, and meditateth in the law of the Most High; he will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be occupied in prophecies.
He will keep the discourse of the men of renown, and will enter in amidst the subtilties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meaning of proverbs, and be conversant in the dark sayings of parables.
He will serve among great men, and appear before him that ruleth; he will travel through the land of strange nations; for he hath tried good things and evil among men.
He will apply his heart to resort early to the Lord that made him, and will make supplication before the Most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and will make supplication for his sins.
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If the great Lord will, he shall be filled with the spirit of understanding: he shall pour forth the words of his wisdom, and in prayer give thanks unto the Lord.
He shall direct his counsel and knowledge, and in his secrets shall he meditate.
He shall shew forth the instruction which he hath been taught, and shall glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord.
Many shall commend his understanding; and so long as the world endureth, it shall not be blotted out: his memorial shall not depart, and his name shall live from generation to generation.
Nations shall declare his wisdom, and the congregation shall tell out his praise.
If he continue, he shall leave a greater name than a thousand: and if he die, he addeth thereto.
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Yet more will I utter, which I have thought upon; and I am filled as the moon at the full.
Hearken unto me, ye holy children, and bud forth as a rose growing by a brook of water:
And give ye a sweet savour as frankincense, and put forth flowers as a lily, spread abroad a sweet smell, and sing a song of praise; bless ye the Lord for all his works.
Magnify his name, and give utterance to his praise with the songs of your lips, and with harps; and thus shall ye say when ye utter his praise:
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All the works of the Lord are exceeding good, and every command shall be accomplished in his season.
None can say, What is this? wherefore is that? for in his season they shall all be sought out. At his word the waters stood as a heap, and the receptacles of waters at the word of his mouth.
At his command is all his good pleasure done; and there is none that shall hinder his salvation.
The works of all flesh are before him; and it is not possible to be hid from his eyes.
He beholdeth from everlasting to everlasting; and there is nothing wonderful before him.
None can say, What is this? wherefore is that? For all things are created for their uses.
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His blessing covered the dry land as a river, and saturated it as a flood.
As he hath turned the waters into saltness; so shall the heathen inherit his wrath.
His ways are plain unto the holy; so are they stumblingblocks unto the wicked.
Good things are created from the beginning for the good; so are evil things for sinners.
The chief of all things necessary for the life of man are water, and fire, and iron, and salt, and flour of wheat, and honey, and milk, the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.
All these things are for good to the godly; so to the sinners they shall be turned into evil.
There be winds that are created for vengeance, and in their fury lay on their scourges heavily; in the time of consummation they pour out their strength, and shall appease the wrath of him that made them.
Fire, and hail, and famine, and death, all these are created for vengeance;
Teeth of wild beasts, and scorpions and adders, and a sword punishing the ungodly unto destruction.
They shall rejoice in his commandment, and shall be made ready upon earth, when need is; and in their seasons they shall not transgress his word.
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Therefore from the beginning I was resolved, and I thought this, and left it in writing;
All the works of the Lord are good: and he will supply every need in its season.
And none can say, This is worse than that; for they shall all be well approved in their season.
And now with all your heart and mouth sing ye praises, and bless the name of the Lord.
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=40= Great travail is created for every man, and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day of their coming forth from their mother’s womb, until the day for their burial in the mother of all things.
The expectation of things to come, and the day of death, trouble their thoughts, and cause fear of heart;
From him that sitteth on a throne of glory, even unto him that is humbled in earth and ashes;
From him that weareth purple and a crown, even unto him that is clothed with a hempen frock.
There is wrath, and jealousy, and trouble, and disquiet, and fear of death, and anger, and strife; and in the time of rest upon his bed his night sleep doth change his knowledge.
A little or nothing is his resting, and afterward in his sleep, as in a day of keeping watch, he is troubled in the vision of his heart, as one that hath escaped from the front of battle.
In the very time of his deliverance he awaketh, and marvelleth that the fear is nought.
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It is thus with all flesh, from man to beast, and upon sinners sevenfold more.
Death, and bloodshed, and strife, and sword, calamities, famine, tribulation, and the scourge;
All these things were created for the wicked, and because of them came the flood.
All things that are of the earth turn to the earth again: and all things that are of the waters return into the sea.
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All bribery and injustice shall be blotted out; and good faith shall stand for ever.
The goods of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and like a great thunder in rain shall go off in noise.
In opening his hands a man shall be made glad: so shall transgressors utterly fail.
The children of the ungodly shall not put forth many branches; and are as unclean roots upon a sheer rock.
The sedge that groweth upon every water and bank of a river shall be plucked up before all grass.
Bounty is as a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endureth for ever.
The life of one that laboureth, and is contented, shall be made sweet; and he that findeth a treasure is above both.
Children and the building of a city establish a man’s name; and a blameless wife is counted above both.
Wine and music rejoice the heart; and the love of wisdom is above both.
The pipe and the psaltery make pleasant melody; and a pleasant tongue is above both.
Thine eye shall desire grace and beauty; and above both the green blade of corn.
A friend and a companion never meet amiss; and a wife with her husband is above both.
Brethren and succour are for a time of affliction; and almsgiving is a deliverer above both.
Gold and silver will make the foot stand sure; and counsel is esteemed above them both.
Riches and strength will lift up the heart; and the fear of the Lord is above both; there is nothing wanting in the fear of the Lord, and there is no need to seek help therein.
The fear of the Lord is as a garden of blessing, and covereth a man above all glory.
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My son, lead not a beggar’s life; better it is to die than to beg.
A man that looketh unto the table of another, his life is not to be counted for a life; he will pollute his soul with another man’s meats: but a man wise and well-instructed will beware thereof.
In the mouth of the shameless begging will be sweet; and in his belly a fire shall be kindled.
=41= O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that is at peace in his possessions, unto the man that hath nothing to distract him, and hath prosperity in all things, and that still hath strength to receive meat!
O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto a man that is needy, and that faileth in strength, that is in extreme old age, and is distracted about all things, and is perverse, and hath lost patience!
Fear not the sentence of death; remember them that have been before thee, and that come after: this is the sentence from the Lord over all flesh.
And why dost thou refuse, when it is the good pleasure of the Most High? Whether it be ten, or a hundred, or a thousand years, there is no inquisition of life in the grave.
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The children of sinners are abominable children, and they frequent the dwellings of the ungodly.