Sirach

The Grandson’s Prologue

Many important things have been handed down to us by the law and the prophets, and by the others who followed in their footsteps, and Israel deserves praise for this instruction and wisdom. Since not only the readers need to develop their own skills, but also those who love learning must be able to benefit those outside their circle, through speaking and writing, my grandfather Jesus, having devoted himself to reading the law, the prophets, and the other books of our ancestors, and having gained great familiarity with them, was also moved to write something about instruction and wisdom, so that those who love learning, and are devoted to these things, could make greater progress in living according to the law. You are therefore asked to read with favor and attention, and to forgive us if in any part of what we have worked to translate, our phrasing seems inadequate. For things originally spoken in Hebrew do not carry the same force when they are translated into another language. This applies not only to these writings but also to the law itself, and the prophecies, and the rest of the books, differ considerably when expressed in their original language. I came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of King Euergetes, and after staying there for some time, I found a copy that offered considerable instruction. I therefore thought it essential to devote careful work to translate this book, using great care and skill during that time to finish the book and publish it also for those who wish to learn while living abroad, preparing their character so as to live according to the law.

The Origin of Wisdom

1 All wisdom comes from the Lord, and is with him forever.⁠a 2 Who can count the sand of the seas, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity?⁠b 3 Who will explore the height of the sky, the breadth of the earth, the deep, and wisdom? 4 Wisdom was created before all things,⁠c and prudent understanding from eternity. 6 To whom has the root of wisdom been revealed? Who has known her subtle thoughts? 8 There is one who is wise and greatly to be feared, the Lord, sitting on his throne. 9 He created her. He saw and measured her. He poured her out on all his works.⁠d 10 She is with all flesh according to his gift. He gave her freely to those who love him.

Reverence for God and Wisdom

11 The fear of the Lord is glory, jubilation, gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. 12 The fear of the Lord will delight the heart, and will give gladness, joy, and length of days. 13 For whoever fears the Lord, things will go well at the end. He will be blessed on the day of his death.

14 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It was created together with the faithful in the womb. 15 She laid an eternal foundation among people. She will be trusted among their offspring. 16 To fear the Lord is the fullness of wisdom. She intoxicates people with her fruits. 17 She will fill all her house with desirable things, and her storehouses with her produce.

18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,⁠e making peace and perfect health flourish. 19 He both saw and measured her. He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding, and exalted the honor of those who hold firmly to her. 20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom. Her branches bring long life. 21 The fear of the Lord drives away sins.⁠f Where it resides, it will turn away all anger.

Patience and Humility

22 Unjust anger can never be justified, for his anger tips the scale to his downfall.⁠g 23 A patient person will endure for a time, and afterward joy will spring up for him. 24 He will hide his words until the right moment, and the lips of many will tell of his understanding. 25 A wise saying is in the treasures of wisdom, but godliness is an abomination to a sinner.

26 If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments and the Lord will give her to you freely, 27 for the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction. Faith and humility are his good pleasure.⁠h 28 Don’t disobey the fear of the Lord. Don’t come to him with a double heart. 29 Don’t be a hypocrite in people’s sight. Keep watch over your lips. 30 Don’t exalt yourself, so that you do not fall and bring dishonor on your soul. The Lord will reveal your secrets and will cast you down in the middle of the congregation, because you didn’t come to the fear of the Lord and your heart was full of deceit.

Faithfulness in Trials

1 My son, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for testing.⁠a 2 Set your heart right and endure steadily. Do not be hasty in a time of disaster. 3 Cling to him, and do not leave him, so that you may prosper at the end. 4 Accept whatever is brought on you, and be patient when you suffer humiliation.⁠b 5 For gold is tested in the fire, and people who are acceptable to God in the furnace of humiliation.⁠c 6 Put your trust in him, and he will help you. Make your ways straight, and set your hope on him.

Trust in God’s Mercy

7 All you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. Do not turn aside, so that you do not fall.⁠d 8 All you who fear the Lord, put your trust in him, and your reward will not fail. 9 All you who fear the Lord, hope for good things, and for eternal gladness and mercy. 10 Look at the generations of the past and see. Who ever put their trust in the Lord, and was put to shame? Or who continued to fear him and was abandoned? Or who called on him and was neglected? 11 For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. He forgives sins and saves in time of distress.⁠e

Warnings against Faithlessness

12 How terrible for fearful hearts, to powerless hands, and to the sinner who follows two paths! 13 How terrible for the fainthearted! For they do not believe, so they will not be protected. 14 How terrible for you who have lost your patience! And what will you all do when the Lord comes to you?

Those Who Fear the Lord

15 Those who fear the Lord will not disobey his words. Those who love him will keep his ways. 16 Those who fear the Lord will seek his good pleasure. Those who love him will be filled with the law. 17 Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and will humble their souls in his sight. 18 We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of people, for his mercy is as great as his majesty.

Honor for Father and Mother

1 Hear me, your father, my children, and do what you hear, so that you all may be safe. 2 For the Lord honors the father over the children, and has confirmed the judgment of the mother over her sons.⁠a 3 He who honors his father will make atonement for sins.⁠b 4 He who gives glory to his mother is like someone who stores up treasure. 5 Whoever honors his father will have joy in his own children. He will be heard when he prays. 6 He who gives glory to his father will live a long life. He who listens to the Lord will bring rest to his mother, 7 and will serve his parents as masters.

8 Honor your father in action and word, so that his blessing may come on you. 9 For the blessing of the father establishes the houses of children, but the curse of the mother uproots the foundations. 10 Don’t glorify yourself at your father’s dishonor, for your father’s dishonor is no glory to you. 11 For the glory of a man is from the honor of his father, and a mother in dishonor is a disgrace to her children.

12 My son, help your father in his old age, and don’t grieve him as long as he lives. 13 If he fails in understanding, have patience with him. Don’t dishonor him in your full strength. 14 For the kindness to your father will not be forgotten. Instead of sins it will be added to build you up. 15 In your day of distress it will be remembered for you, your sins will melt away like ice in warm weather.⁠c 16 He who abandons his father is like a blasphemer. He who provokes his mother is cursed by the Lord.

Humility and the Limits of Knowledge

17 My son, carry out your business humbly, and you will be loved by a person who is acceptable to God.⁠d 18 The greater you are, the more you should humble yourself, and you will find favor with the Lord. 20 For the power of the Lord is great, and he is glorified by those who are lowly.

21 Don’t seek things that are too hard for you, and don’t investigate things that are beyond your ability.⁠e 22 Think about the things that have been commanded to you, for you have no need of the things that are secret. 23 Don’t be overly busy in tasks that are beyond you, for more things are shown to you than people can understand. 24 For the conceit of many has led them astray. Bad ideas have led their judgment astray.

Stubbornness and Generosity

26 A stubborn heart will do badly at the end. He who loves danger will die in it.⁠f 27 A stubborn heart will be burdened with troubles. The sinner will pile sin on sin. 28 There is no cure for the disaster that strikes the proud, for a weed of wickedness has taken root in him.

29 The heart of the prudent will understand a proverb. A wise man desires the ear of a listener. 30 Water will quench a flaming fire, and giving to the poor will make atonement for sins.⁠g 31 Anyone who repays kindness thinks of what comes afterward. When he falls, he will find support.

Care for the Poor and Oppressed

1 My son, don’t deprive a poor person of a livelihood. Don’t make the eyes of the needy wait long.⁠a 2 Don’t make a hungry soul sorrowful, or provoke a man in his distress. 3 Don’t add more trouble to a heart that is provoked. Don’t put off giving to him who is in need. 4 Don’t reject someone pleading in distress. Don’t turn your face away from a poor man.⁠b 5 Don’t turn your eye away from one who asks. Give no one a reason to curse you.⁠c 6 For if he curses you in the bitterness of his soul, he who made him will hear his plea.

7 Endear yourself to the assembly. Bow your head to an important man. 8 Listen to a poor man. Answer him with peaceful words in humility. 9 Rescue the victim from the wrongdoer’s power.⁠d Don’t be hesitant in giving judgment. 10 Be like a father to the fatherless, and like a husband to their mother. So you will be like a son of the Most High,⁠e and he will love you more than your mother does.⁠f

Wisdom’s Rewards and Discipline

11 Wisdom exalts her sons, and takes hold of those who seek her. 12 He who loves her loves life. Those who seek her early will be filled with gladness. 13 He who holds firmly to her will inherit glory. Where he enters, the Lord will bless. 14 Those who serve her serve the Holy One. The Lord loves those who love her. 15 He who listens to her will judge the nations. He who pays attention to her will live securely. 16 If he trusts her, he will inherit her, and his descendants will possess her. 17 For at first she will walk with him in crooked ways, and will bring fear and dread on him, and torment him with her discipline, until she can trust his soul and test him by her judgments. 18 Then she will bring him back to the straight path, and will make him glad, and reveal to him her secrets. 19 If he goes astray, she will abandon him, and hand him over to his downfall.

Courage and Honesty

20 Watch for the opportunity, and beware of evil. Don’t be ashamed of your soul. 21 For there is a shame that brings sin, and there is a shame that is glory and grace.⁠g 22 Don’t show partiality, discrediting your soul. Don’t honor anyone in a way that causes your downfall. 23 Don’t hold back from speaking when it can bring safety. Don’t hide your wisdom to keep up appearances. 24 For wisdom will be known by speech, and instruction by the word of the tongue. 25 Don’t speak against the truth and be shamed for your ignorance.⁠h 26 Don’t be ashamed to confess your sins. Don’t fight the river’s current. 27 Don’t lie down for a fool to trample on. Don’t be partial to someone powerful. 28 Strive for the truth to the point of death, and the Lord God will fight for you.⁠i

Speech and Conduct

29 Don’t be hasty with your tongue, or lazy and negligent in your deeds. 30 Don’t be like a lion in your house, or suspicious of your servants. 31 Don’t let your hand be stretched out to receive, and closed when you should repay.⁠j

False Security and Delayed Repentance

1 Don’t set your heart on your possessions. Don’t say, “They are sufficient for me.” 2 Don’t follow your own mind and your strength by pursuing your heart’s desires.⁠a 3 Don’t say, “Who will have power over me?” for the Lord will surely take vengeance on you.

4 Don’t say, “I sinned, and what happened to me?” for the Lord is patient.⁠b 5 Don’t be so confident of atonement that you add sin on sin. 6 Don’t say, “His compassion is great. He will be appeased over my many sins,” for mercy and anger are with him, and his fury will rest on sinners. 7 Don’t wait to turn to the Lord. Don’t put it off from day to day,⁠c for suddenly the anger of the Lord will come on you, and you will die in the time of vengeance. 8 Don’t set your heart on dishonest gains, for you will profit nothing on the day of disaster.⁠d

Consistency in Speech

9 Don’t winnow with every wind. Don’t walk in every path. This is what the sinner who speaks with two tongues does. 10 Be steadfast in your understanding. Let your speech be consistent. 11 Be quick to listen and answer with patience.⁠e 12 If you have understanding, answer your neighbor, but if not, put your hand over your mouth.⁠f 13 Glory and dishonor come through speech. A man’s tongue may be his downfall.⁠g 14 Don’t be called a gossip. Don’t lie in wait with your tongue, for shame is on the thief, and an evil condemnation is on anyone who speaks with two tongues.⁠h 15 Don’t be ignorant in a great or small matter.

The Harm of an Undisciplined Soul

1 Don’t become an enemy instead of a friend, for an evil name will inherit shame and disgrace. So it is with the sinner who speaks with two tongues. 2 Do not let your soul’s counsel make you arrogant, so that your soul is not torn apart like a bull. 3 You will eat up your leaves, destroy your fruit, and leave yourself like a dry tree. 4 A wicked soul will destroy him who has it, and will make him a laughingstock to his enemies.

True and False Friendship

5 Sweet words will multiply a man’s friends. A gracious tongue will multiply friendly greetings. 6 Let those that are at peace with you be many, but your adviser one in a thousand. 7 If you want to gain a friend, test him, and don’t be in a hurry to trust him. 8 For there is a friend just for an occasion. He won’t stay in your day of distress. 9 And there is a friend who turns into an enemy. He will reveal your quarrel to disgrace you. 10 And there is a friend who is a companion at the table, but he won’t stay in your day of distress.⁠a 11 In your prosperity he will be like you, and will act boldly toward your servants. 12 If you are brought low, he will be against you, and will hide himself from you. 13 Separate yourself from your enemies, and beware of your friends. 14 A faithful friend is a strong defense. He who has found him has found a treasure. 15 There is nothing that can be taken in exchange for a faithful friend. His worth is beyond price. 16 A faithful friend is a life-saving medicine.⁠b Those who fear the Lord will find him.⁠c 17 He who fears the Lord directs his friendship properly, for his neighbor is like him.

Learning Wisdom

18 My son, gather instruction from your youth. Even when you have gray hair you will find wisdom. 19 Come to her like someone who plows and sows and wait for her good fruit,⁠d for you will toil only a little in cultivating her, and you will soon eat her fruit. 20 How extremely harsh she is to the uneducated! He who is without understanding will not remain in her. 21 She will rest on him like a great stone that tests him. He won’t hesitate to throw her off. 22 For wisdom is true to her name. She is not revealed to many.

Wisdom’s Discipline and Reward

23 Listen, my son, and accept my judgment. Don’t refuse my advice. 24 Bring your feet into her shackles, and your neck into her chain.⁠e 25 Put your shoulder under her and bear her. Don’t be distressed by her bonds. 26 Come to her with all your soul. Keep her ways with your whole power.⁠f 27 Search and seek, and she will be made known to you. When you get hold of her, don’t let her go. 28 For in the end you will find her rest, and she will become your gladness. 29 Her shackles will be a strong covering for you, and her chains for a robe of glory. 30 For there is a golden ornament on her, and her bands are a purple cord. 31 You will put her on like a robe of glory, and will put her on like a crown of rejoicing.

Listening to the Wise

32 My son, if you are willing, you will be instructed. If you are willing to submit your soul, you will be prudent. 33 If you love to listen, you will receive. If you listen carefully, you will be wise.⁠g 34 Stand in the assembly of the elders. Attach yourself to whomever is wise. 35 Be willing to listen to every godly discussion. Don’t let the proverbs of understanding escape you.⁠h 36 If you see a man of understanding, get to him early. Let your foot wear out the steps of his doors. 37 Let your mind dwell on the decrees of the Lord and meditate continually on his commandments. He will establish your heart and your desire for wisdom will be given to you.

Humility and Responsible Conduct

1 Do no evil, so no evil will overtake you. 2 Turn away from wrongdoing, and it will turn away from you. 3 My son, don’t sow in the furrows of unrighteousness, and you won’t reap them seven times over. 4 Don’t seek a leading position from the Lord, or the seat of honor from the king. 5 Don’t justify yourself in the presence of the Lord, and don’t display your wisdom before the king. 6 Don’t seek to be a judge, in case you cannot remove injustice, or fear a powerful person and put a stumbling block in the way of your integrity. 7 Don’t sin against the people of the city. Don’t disgrace yourself in the crowd.

8 Don’t commit a sin twice, for even one will not go unpunished. 9 Don’t say, “He will look at the abundance of my gifts. When I make an offering to the Most High God, he will accept it.” 10 Don’t be fainthearted in your prayer.⁠a Don’t neglect to give to the poor.

11 Don’t laugh at a man in contempt when he is in the bitterness of his soul, for there is one who humbles and exalts. 12 Don’t invent a lie against your brother, or do the same to a friend. 13 Refuse to tell a lie,⁠b for that habit results in no good. 14 Don’t babble in the assembly of elders. Don’t repeat your words in your prayer.⁠c 15 Don’t hate hard labor or farm work, which the Most High has created. 16 Don’t count yourself among the crowd of sinners. Remember that anger will not wait. 17 Humble your soul greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm.⁠d

Friends and Household Members

18 Don’t exchange a friend for something, or a true brother for the gold of Ophir. 19 Don’t deprive yourself of a wise and good wife, for her grace is worth more than gold. 20 Don’t abuse a servant who works faithfully, or a hired worker who gives you his life. 21 Let your soul love a wise servant. Don’t defraud him of freedom.

Care for Family and Livestock

22 Do you have cattle? Look after them. If they are profitable to you, let them stay by you. 23 Do you have children? Correct them, and make them obedient from their youth.⁠e 24 Do you have daughters? Take care of their bodies, and don’t be overly indulgent toward them. 25 Give your daughter in marriage, and you will have accomplished something important. Give her to a man of understanding.

26 Do you have a wife who pleases you? Don’t send her away. But don’t trust yourself to one who is hateful. 27 Honor your father with your whole heart, and don’t forget the labor pains of your mother. 28 Remember that you were born from them. How will you repay them for what they have done for you?

Honor for God and the Priests

29 Fear the Lord with all your soul⁠f and revere his priests.⁠g 30 With all your strength love him who made you. Don’t abandon his ministers. 31 Fear the Lord and honor the priest. Give him his portion, just as you are commanded: the first fruits, the trespass offering, the gift of the shoulders, the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of holy things.⁠h

Care for the Vulnerable

32 Also stretch out your hand to the poor man,⁠i so that your blessing may be complete.⁠j 33 A gift finds favor with every living person. Don’t withhold kindness to the dead.⁠k 34 Don’t avoid those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn. 35 Don’t be slow to visit a sick man, for through such acts you will gain love. 36 In all your words, remember eternity, and you will never sin.

Quarrels and Restraint

1 Don’t fight with a powerful man, in case you fall into his hands. 2 Don’t quarrel with a rich man, in case he overpowers you, for gold has destroyed many, and turned away the hearts of kings. 3 Don’t argue with a loudmouthed man. Don’t pile wood on his fire.

4 Don’t make fun of a rude man, so that your ancestors are not dishonored. 5 Don’t reproach a man when he turns from sin. Remember that we are all worthy of punishment. 6 Don’t dishonor a man in his old age, for some of us are also growing old. 7 Don’t celebrate anyone’s death. Remember that we all die.

Learning from the Wise and Elderly

8 Don’t neglect the teaching of the wise. Become familiar with their proverbs, for from them you will learn discipline and how to serve important men. 9 Don’t miss the teaching of the elderly, for they also learned from their parents, because from them you will learn understanding, and to give an answer in time of need.⁠a

Prudence in Dealing with Others

10 Don’t ignite the coals of a sinner, so that you are not burned with the flame of his fire. 11 Don’t lose your temper in an insolent man’s presence, in case he lies in ambush for what you say.

12 Don’t lend to a man who is stronger than you, and if you lend, count it as a loss. 13 Don’t guarantee a debt beyond your means. If you guarantee it, think like someone who will have to pay. 14 Don’t take a judge to court, for according to his honor they will give judgment for him.

15 Don’t travel with a reckless man, in case he becomes a burden to you, for he will do as he pleases, and you will die because of his foolishness. 16 Don’t fight with a hot-tempered man. Don’t travel with him through the desert, for blood means nothing to him. Where there is no help, he will overthrow you. 17 Don’t consult with a fool, for he will not be able to keep a secret. 18 Do nothing secret in front of a stranger, for you don’t know what it will cause. 19 Don’t open your heart to every man. Don’t let him return you a favor.

Caution in Relationships

1 Don’t be jealous over the wife you embrace, and don’t teach her an evil lesson against yourself. 2 Don’t give your soul to a woman and let her trample down your strength. 3 Don’t go to meet a woman who plays the prostitute, in case you fall into her traps. 4 Don’t associate with a woman who is a singer, in case you are caught by her tricks. 5 Don’t gaze at a virgin, in case you stumble and are penalized because of her.⁠a 6 Don’t give your soul to prostitutes, so that you do not lose your inheritance.

7 Don’t look around in the streets of the city. Don’t wander in its deserted places.⁠b 8 Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman, and don’t gaze at another’s beauty. Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman, and with this, passion is ignited like a fire.⁠c 9 Don’t dine at all with a woman who has a husband, or drink wine in celebration with her, in case your soul turns toward her, and you slide in spirit into destruction.⁠d

Old Friends and Wise Company

10 Don’t abandon an old friend, for a new one is not comparable to him. A new friend is like new wine. If it ages, you will drink it with gladness.⁠e 11 Don’t envy the success of a sinner, for you don’t know what his end will be. 12 Don’t take pleasure in the pleasures of the ungodly. Remember they will not go unpunished before they reach the grave.

13 Stay away from the man who has power to kill, and you will not be troubled by the fear of death. If you come to him, commit no fault, in case he takes away your life. Know for certain that you move among traps and walk on a city’s battlements. 14 As well as you can, aim to know your neighbors, and consult with the wise. 15 Let your conversation be with men of understanding. Let all your discussion concern the law of the Most High. 16 Let righteous people be companions at your table. Let your boasting be in the fear of the Lord.⁠f

Skill in Work and Speech

17 A work is praised because of the skill of the artisan, and he who rules the people will be considered wise for his speech. 18 A loudmouthed man is dangerous in his city. He who is reckless in his speech will be hated.⁠g

Wise Government

1 A wise judge will instruct his people. The government of a man of understanding will be well ordered.⁠a 2 The officials of a people are like their judge. A city’s inhabitants are like its ruler. 3 An undisciplined king will destroy his people. A city will be established through the understanding of the powerful. 4 The government of the earth is in the Lord’s hand. At the right time, he will raise up the right person to rule over it.⁠b 5 A man’s prosperity is in the Lord’s hand. He will bestow his honor on the scribe.

Pride and Its Consequences

6 Don’t be angry with your neighbor for every wrong. Do nothing through violence. 7 Pride is hateful to the Lord and people. Arrogance is abhorrent in the judgment of both. 8 Sovereignty is transferred from nation to nation because of injustice, violence, and greed for money. There is no one more wicked than a greedy man, for he offers his own soul for sale.⁠c 9 Why are dirt and ashes proud? Because in life, my body decays.⁠d 10 A long disease mocks the physician. The king of today will die tomorrow. 11 For when a man is dead, he will inherit maggots, vermin, and worms.

12 Pride begins when a man turns away from the Lord. His heart has departed from him who made him.⁠e 13 For the beginning of pride is sin.⁠f Anyone who clings to it will overflow with detestable acts.⁠g For this reason the Lord brought extraordinary disasters on them and utterly overthrew them. 14 The Lord overturned the thrones of rulers and set the lowly in their place.⁠h 15 The Lord pulled up the roots of nations and planted the lowly in their place. 16 The Lord overthrew the lands of nations and destroyed them to the foundations of the earth. 17 He took some of them away and destroyed them, and erased their memory from the earth. 18 Pride has not been created for humans, or raging anger for the offspring of women.

Honor and Reverence

19 Whose offspring has honor? Human offspring who fear the Lord. Whose offspring has no honor? Human offspring who break the commandments. 20 Among relatives, their ruler has honor. Those who fear the Lord have honor in his eyes. 22 The rich man, the honorable, and the poor all boast in the fear of the Lord. 23 It is not right to dishonor a poor man who has understanding. It is not fitting to glorify a man who is a sinner. 24 The prince, the judge, and the powerful man will be honored. None of them is greater than someone who fears the Lord. 25 Free men will serve a wise servant. A man who has knowledge will not complain.

Humility and Self-Respect

26 Don’t flaunt your wisdom in doing your work. Don’t boast in the time of your distress. 27 Anyone who works and has plenty of everything is better than someone who boasts but lacks bread. 28 My son, glorify your soul in humility, and give yourself honor in keeping with your worth. 29 Who will justify him who sins against his own soul? Who will honor him who dishonors his own life?

30 A poor man is honored for his knowledge. A rich man is honored for his riches. 31 If someone is honored in poverty, how much more will he be honored in wealth? If someone is dishonored in wealth, how much more will he be dishonored in poverty?

Wisdom and Appearances

1 The wisdom of the lowly will lift up his head, and make him sit among important men.⁠a 2 Don’t praise a man for his good looks. Don’t despise a man for his outward appearance. 3 The bee is little among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of confections. 4 Don’t boast about the clothes you wear, and don’t exalt yourself on a day of honor,⁠b for the Lord’s works are wonderful, and his works are hidden among people. 5 Many kings have sat down on the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown. 6 Many powerful men have been greatly disgraced. Famous men have been handed over to others.

Careful Judgment and Human Effort

7 Don’t blame before you investigate. Understand first, and then rebuke. 8 Don’t answer before you have heard.⁠c Don’t interrupt while someone else is speaking. 9 Don’t argue about a matter that doesn’t concern you. Don’t sit with sinners when they judge. 10 My son, don’t keep busy with too many matters, for if you meddle too much, you will not be unpunished. If you pursue, you will not overtake, and you will not escape by fleeing. 11 There is one who toils, labors, and hurries, and is even more behind. 12 There is one who is sluggish, and needs help, lacking in strength, and deep in poverty, but the Lord’s eyes looked kindly on him, and he raised him up from his low condition, 13 and lifted up his head so that many marveled at him.

Gifts and Reversals from God

14 Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and riches, are from the Lord. 17 The Lord’s gift remains with the godly. His good pleasure will prosper forever.

18 One grows rich by his diligence and self-denial, and this is his share of the reward:⁠d 19 when he says, “I have found rest, and now I will enjoy my possessions!” he doesn’t know how much time will pass until he leaves them to others and dies. 20 Be steadfast in your covenant and put it into practice, and grow old in your work. 21 Don’t be amazed at the works of a sinner, but trust the Lord and stay in your work, for it is easy for the Lord to make a poor man rich quickly and suddenly. 22 The Lord’s blessing is in the reward of the godly. He makes his blessing flourish in a sudden moment.

23 Don’t say, “What use am I? What further good things can be mine?” 24 Don’t say, “I have enough. What harm could happen to me now?” 25 On a good day, bad things are forgotten. On a bad day, a man will not remember things that are good. 26 For it is easy for the Lord to repay a man on the day of death according to his ways. 27 The distress of an hour causes delights to be forgotten. In the end, a man’s deeds are revealed. 28 Call no one happy before death. A man will be known in his children.⁠e

Caution with Strangers

29 Don’t bring every man into your house, for a deceitful man has many tricks.⁠f 30 A proud man’s heart is like a decoy partridge in a cage. Like a spy, he looks for your weakness. 31 For he lies in wait to turn things that are good into evil, and finds fault with things that are praiseworthy. 32 From a spark of fire, a heap of many coals is ignited, and a sinful man lies in wait to shed blood. 33 Beware of a wrongdoer, for he plans wicked things, and he may ruin your reputation forever. 34 If you welcome a stranger into your house, he will distract you with arguments and estrange you from your own family.

Discernment in Giving

1 If you do good, know to whom you do it, and your good deeds will receive thanks.⁠a 2 Do good to a godly man, and you will find a reward, if not from him, then from the Most High. 3 No good will come to him who continues to do evil, or to anyone who gives nothing to the poor. 4 Give to the godly man, and don’t help the sinner. 5 Do good to one who is lowly. Don’t give to an ungodly man. Keep back his bread, and don’t give it to him, so that he does not overpower you with it, for you would receive twice as much evil for all the good you would have done to him. 6 For the Most High also hates sinners, and will take vengeance on the ungodly. 7 Give to the good man, and don’t help the sinner.

False Friends and Hidden Enemies

8 A man’s friend won’t be fully tested in prosperity. His enemy won’t be hidden in adversity. 9 In a man’s prosperity, his enemies are grieved. In his adversity, even his friend leaves. 10 Never trust your enemy, for his wickedness is like corrosion in copper.⁠b

11 Although he humbles himself and walks bowed down, still be careful and beware of him. With him, you will be like someone who has wiped a mirror, to be sure it doesn’t completely tarnish. 12 Don’t set him next to you, in case he overthrows you and stand in your place. Don’t let him sit at your right side, in case he seeks to take your seat, and in the end you acknowledge my words, and my sayings sting you.

13 Who will pity a snake charmer that is bitten by a snake, or any who come near wild beasts? 14 In the same way, who will pity him who goes to a sinner, and is associated with him in his sins? 15 For a while he will stay with you, and if you falter, he will not stay.

16 The enemy will speak sweetly with his lips, and in his heart plan to throw you into a pit. The enemy may weep with his eyes, but if he finds opportunity, he will want more blood. 17 If adversity meets you, you will find him there before you. Pretending to help you, he will trip you. 18 He will shake his head, clap his hands, whisper a great deal, and change his expression.

Unequal Partnerships

1 He who touches pitch will be defiled. He who associates with a proud man will become like him. 2 Don’t take up a burden beyond your strength. Do not associate with someone more powerful and richer than yourself. What can a clay pot have in common with a kettle? The kettle will strike, and the pot will be smashed to pieces.⁠a 3 The rich man does a wrong and threatens. The poor is wronged and apologizes.⁠b 4 If you are useful, he will exploit you. If you are in need, he will abandon you. 5 If you own something, he will live with you. He will drain your resources and will not be sorry.

6 Does he need you? Then he will deceive you, smile at you, and give you hope. He will speak kindly to you and say, “What do you need?” 7 He will shame you by his rich food until he has stripped you of everything two or three times, and in the end he will laugh at you in contempt. Afterward he will see you, will abandon you, and shake his head at you. 8 Beware that you are not deceived and brought low in your enjoyment.

Caution around the Powerful

9 If a powerful man invites you, be reserved, and he will invite you more. 10 Don’t press him, in case you are pushed away. Don’t stand far away, in case you are forgotten. 11 Don’t try to speak with him as an equal, and don’t believe his many words, for he will test you with much talk, and will examine you with a smile. 12 He who doesn’t keep secrets to himself is unmerciful. He won’t hesitate to harm and to bind. 13 Keep them to yourself and be careful, for you walk in danger of falling.

The Separation of Rich and Poor

15 Every living creature loves its own kind, and every man loves his neighbor.⁠c 16 All living creatures associate with their own kind. A man will stick to people like himself. 17 What can a wolf have in common with a lamb? So it is between the sinner and the godly.⁠d 18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? What peace is there between a rich man and the poor? 19 Wild donkeys are the prey of lions in the wilderness, and likewise poor men are feeding grounds for the rich. 20 Humility is detestable to a proud man, and likewise a poor man is detestable to the rich.

21 When a rich man is shaken, he is supported by his friends, but when a humble man is down, he is pushed away even by his friends. 22 When a rich man falls, there are many helpers. He speaks things not to be spoken, and men justify him. A humble man falls, and men rebuke him. He speaks wisdom, and is not listened to. 23 A rich man speaks, and all keep silence. They praise what he says to the clouds.⁠e A poor man speaks, and they say, “Who is this?” If he stumbles, they will help to overthrow him.

Wealth and the Heart

24 Riches are good if they involve no sin. Poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly. 25 The heart of a man changes his expression, whether it is for good or for evil. 26 A cheerful face is a sign of a thriving heart. Devising proverbs takes strenuous thinking.

A Clear Conscience

1 Blessed is the man who has not stumbled in speech, and doesn’t suffer from sorrow for sins.⁠a 2 Blessed is he whose soul does not condemn him, and who has not given up hope.

Generosity and the Use of Wealth

3 Riches are not appropriate for a stingy person. What would a miser do with money? 4 He who gathers by denying himself gathers for others. Others will revel in his goods. 5 If one is mean to himself, to whom will he be good?⁠b He won’t enjoy his possessions. 6 No one is more evil than someone who begrudges himself anything. This is a punishment for his wickedness. 7 Even if he does good, he does it without thinking. In the end, he reveals his wickedness. 8 A miser is evil. He turns away and disregards people.⁠c 9 A greedy man’s eye is not satisfied with his portion. Wicked injustice dries up his soul. 10 A miser begrudges bread, and it is lacking at his table.

11 My son, treat yourself well with what you have, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord.⁠d 12 Remember that death will not wait, and that Hades’ covenant has not been revealed to you. 13 Do good to your friends before you die. According to your ability, reach out and give to them. 14 Don’t deprive yourself of a good day. Don’t let your share of a desired good pass you by. 15 Won’t you leave what you worked for to another, and won’t the fruit of your toil be divided by lot? 16 Give, take, and treat yourself well, because there is no pursuit of luxury in Hades.⁠e

17 All flesh grows old like clothing, for the covenant from the beginning is, “You must die!”⁠f 18 A leafy tree sheds some leaves while others grow. So it is with generations of flesh and blood, one comes to an end and another is born.⁠g 19 Every work rots and falls away, and its builder will depart with it.

The Search for Wisdom

20 Blessed is the man who meditates on wisdom, and who reasons by his understanding. 21 He who considers her ways in his heart will also have knowledge of her secrets. 22 Go after her like a hunter, and lie in wait in her paths. 23 He who peers in at her windows will also listen at her doors. 24 He who stays close to her house will also fasten a nail in her walls. 25 He will pitch his tent near her, and will stay where good things are. 26 He will set his children under her shelter, and will rest under her branches. 27 She will cover him from the heat, and he will stay in her glory.

Wisdom’s Gifts

1 He who fears the Lord will do this. He who holds to the law will obtain her.⁠a 2 She will meet him like a mother, and receive him like a wife married in her virginity.⁠b 3 She will feed him with bread of understanding and give him water of wisdom to drink. 4 He will lean on her and will not be shaken. He will rely on her and will not be put to shame. 5 She will exalt him above his neighbors. She will open his mouth in the middle of the congregation. 6 He will inherit joy, a crown of gladness, and an everlasting name.

7 Foolish men will not obtain her. Sinners will not see her. 8 She is far from pride. Liars will not remember her. 9 Praise is not fitting in a sinner’s mouth, for it was not sent to him from the Lord.⁠c 10 For praise will be spoken in wisdom, and the Lord will make it flourish.

Human Freedom and Responsibility

11 Don’t say, “It is through the Lord that I fell away,” for you must not do the things that he hates.⁠d 12 Don’t say, “He caused me to go wrong,” for he has no need of a sinful man. 13 The Lord hates every detestable thing, and those who fear him don’t love them.⁠e

14 He himself made man from the beginning and left him in the hands of his own judgment.⁠f 15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments. To be faithful is a matter of your choice. 16 He has set fire and water before you. You will reach out your hand to whichever you desire. 17 Life and death are before a man. Whichever he desires will be given to him.⁠g

18 For the wisdom of the Lord is great. He is mighty in power, and sees all things. 19 His eyes are on those who fear him. He knows every act of man. 20 He has not commanded any man to be ungodly. He has not given any man permission to sin.

Children and Their Character

1 Don’t desire many worthless children, or delight in ungodly sons. 2 If they multiply, don’t delight in them unless the fear of the Lord is in them. 3 Don’t trust in their life. Don’t rely on their numbers, for one can be better than a thousand, and it can be better to die childless than to have ungodly children.⁠a 4 For from one who has understanding, a city will be populated, but a race of wicked men will be left desolate. 5 I have seen many such things with my eyes. My ear has heard greater things than these.

Judgment on the Disobedient

6 In a congregation of sinners, a fire will be ignited. In a disobedient nation, anger is ignited.⁠b 7 He was not lenient toward the ancient giants, who revolted in their strength.⁠c 8 He didn’t spare Lot’s neighbors, whom he detested for their pride.⁠d 9 He didn’t pity the people doomed to destruction who were taken away in their sins, 10 or in the same way, the six hundred thousand foot soldiers who were gathered together in the hardness of their hearts.⁠e

11 Even if there is one stiff-necked person, it is amazing if he goes unpunished, for mercy and anger are both with him who is mighty to forgive, and he pours out anger. 12 His discipline is as great as his mercy.⁠f He judges a man according to his works.⁠g 13 The sinner will not escape with stolen goods. The perseverance of the godly will not be frustrated. 14 He will make room for every work of mercy. Each man will receive according to his works.⁠h

The Claim That God Does Not See

17 Don’t say, “I will be hidden from the Lord. Who will remember me from above? I will not be known among so many people, for what is my soul in a boundless creation? 18 Look, heaven, the heaven of heavens, the deep, and the earth, will shake when he visits.⁠i 19 The mountains and the foundations of the earth together are shaken with trembling when he looks at them. 20 No heart will think about these things. Who could comprehend his ways?⁠j 21 Like a storm that no one can see, most of his works are hidden. 22 Who will declare his works of righteousness? Who will wait for them? For his covenant is far away.” 23 He who is lacking in understanding thinks about these things. A foolish, misguided man thinks foolishly.

The Order of Creation

24 My son, listen to me, learn knowledge, and pay attention to my words with your heart. 25 I will give instruction with precision, and declare knowledge exactly.

26 The Lord’s works have been under his judgment from the beginning. From the time he made them he determined their boundaries.⁠k 27 He arranged his works for all time, and their beginnings for their generations. They aren’t hungry or weary, and they don’t stop their works. 28 No one pushes aside his neighbor. They will never disobey his word. 29 After this also the Lord looked at the earth and filled it with his blessings. 30 Every kind of living things covered its surface, and they return to it.

God’s Gifts to Humanity

1 The Lord created mankind out of earth, and turned them back to it again. 2 He gave them a numbered span of days, and a set time, and gave them authority over the things that are on it. 3 He endowed them with strength suited to them, and made them according to his own image.⁠a 4 He put the fear of man on all flesh, and gave him authority over beasts and birds. 6 He gave them judgment, tongue, eyes, ears, and heart to have understanding. 7 He filled them with the knowledge of wisdom, and showed them good and evil. 8 He set his eye on their hearts, to show them the majesty of his works. 10 And they will praise his holy name, so that they may declare the majesty of his works.

11 He added to them knowledge, and gave them a law of life as an inheritance. 12 He made an everlasting covenant with them, and showed them his decrees. 13 Their eyes saw the majesty of his glory. Their ears heard the glory of his voice. 14 He said to them, “Beware of all wrongdoing.” So he gave each man commands concerning his neighbor.

God Sees Human Conduct

15 Their ways are always before him. They will not be hidden from his eyes. 17 For every nation he appointed a ruler, but Israel is the Lord’s portion.⁠b 19 All their works are as clear as the sun before him. His eyes are continually on their ways. 20 Their wrongdoing are not hidden from him. All their sins are before the Lord.

22 To him, a man’s gifts to the poor are like a signet. He will keep a man’s kindness like the pupil of the eye. 23 Afterward he will rise up and repay them, and give their repayment on their heads. 24 However to those who repent he grants a return. He comforts those who are losing hope.

Repentance and Divine Mercy

25 Return to the Lord, and abandon sins. Pray in his presence and offend less.⁠c 26 Turn again to the Most High, and turn away from wrongdoing. Hate what is detestable deeply. 27 Who will give praise to the Most High in Hades, in place of the living who return thanks? 28 Thanksgiving dies away among the dead, as from one who doesn’t exist. Anyone who is alive and healthy will praise the Lord. 29 How great is the mercy of the Lord, and his forgiveness to those who turn to him!

30 For humans are not capable of everything, because the son of man is not immortal. 31 What is brighter than the sun? Yet even this can be eclipsed. So flesh and blood devise evil. 32 He looks on the power of the height of heaven, while all men are earth and ashes.

The Creator and Human Frailty

1 He who lives forever created the whole universe.⁠a 2 The Lord alone is just. 4 He has not given anyone the power to declare his works. Who could trace out his mighty deeds? 5 Who could measure the strength of his majesty? Who could also proclaim his mercies? 6 As for the Lord’s wonderful works, it is not possible to take anything away from them, add anything to them,⁠b or explore them. 7 When a man has finished, he is only at the beginning. When he stops, he will be puzzled.

8 What is mankind, and what purpose do they serve? What is their good, and what is their evil?⁠c 9 A human life lasts at most a hundred years. 10 A few years in the day of eternity are like a drop of water from the sea and a pebble from the sand.⁠d 11 For this reason the Lord was patient with them, and poured out his mercy on them.⁠e 12 He saw and recognized that their end is evil. Therefore he multiplied his forgiveness.

13 The mercy of a man is on his neighbor, but the mercy of the Lord is on all flesh.⁠f He corrects, disciplines, teaches, and brings them back as a shepherd does his flock.⁠g 14 He has mercy on those who accept discipline, and diligently seek his judgments.

Kindness in Giving

15 My son, don’t add reproach to your good deeds, and do not add harsh words to any of your giving. 16 Doesn’t the dew relieve the scorching heat? So a word is better than a gift. 17 Look, isn’t a word better than a gift? Both are with a gracious person. 18 A fool is ungracious and abusive. The gift of a grudging person wears away the eyes.⁠h

Foresight and Preparation

19 Learn before you speak. Take care of your health before you get sick. 20 Before judgment, examine yourself, and in the hour of scrutiny you will find forgiveness. 21 Humble yourself before you get sick. When you sin, repent. 22 Let nothing stop you from paying your vow on time. Don’t wait until death to be released. 23 Before you make a vow, prepare yourself. Don’t be like a man who tests the Lord.

24 Think about the anger coming in the days of the end, and the time of vengeance, when he turns away his face. 25 In times of plenty remember the time of hunger. Remember poverty and lack in the days of wealth. 26 From morning until evening, the time changes. All things are swift before the Lord. 27 A wise man is cautious in everything. In days of sinning, he will beware of offense. 28 Every man of understanding knows wisdom. He will give thanks to him who found her. 29 Those who understood sayings also became wise themselves, and poured out apt proverbs.

Self-Control and Moderation

30 Don’t go after your strong desires. Restrain your appetites.⁠i 31 If you give your soul all the pleasure she desires, she will make you the laughingstock of your enemies. 32 Don’t celebrate with excessive luxury,⁠j and don’t be tied to its expense. 33 Don’t become a beggar through feasting with borrowed money when you have nothing in your purse.

Indulgence and Carelessness

1 A worker who is a drunkard will not become rich. He who despises small things will fall little by little.⁠a 2 Wine and women will make men of understanding go astray. He who joins with prostitutes is reckless.⁠b 3 Decay and worms will have him as their inheritance. A reckless soul will be taken away.

Gossip and Restraint

4 He who is quick to trust has a shallow heart. He who sins offends against his own soul. 5 He who takes pleasure in wickedness will be condemned. 6 He who hates gossip has less wickedness. 7 Never repeat what is told you, and you won’t lose anything. 8 Whether it is of friend or enemy, don’t tell it. Unless it is a sin to you, don’t reveal it. 9 For if he has heard you and observed you, when the time comes, he will hate you. 10 Have you heard something? Let it die with you. Be brave, it will not make you burst!⁠c 11 A fool will suffer labor pains over a word, like a woman in labor with a child. 12 Gossip in a fool is like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the thigh.

Questioning before Accusing

13 Question a friend, for he may not have done it. If he did something, question him so that he does not do it again. 14 Question your neighbor, for he may not have said it. If he has said it, question him so that he does not say it again. 15 Question a friend, for many times there is slander. Don’t trust every word.⁠d 16 Someone slips, though his heart did not intend it. Who has not sinned with his tongue? 17 Correct your neighbor before you threaten him, and give way to the law of the Most High.

Wisdom and Deceptive Cleverness

20 All wisdom is the fear of the Lord. All wisdom involves obeying the law. 22 The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom. The shrewdness of sinners is not sound advice.⁠e 23 There is a kind of wickedness that is detestable. There is a fool lacking in wisdom.⁠f 24 Someone with little understanding who fears God is better than someone with much intelligence who breaks the law. 25 There is highly refined cleverness that is unjust. And there is one who perverts favor to gain a judgment.

26 There is someone who acts wickedly and hangs his head in mourning, but inwardly he is full of deceit, 27 bowing down his face, and pretending to be deaf in one ear. Where he isn’t known, he will take advantage of you. 28 And if a lack of power keeps him from sinning, if he finds opportunity, he will do harm. 29 A man will be known by his appearance. One who has understanding will be known by his face when you meet him.⁠g 30 A man’s clothing, grinning laughter, and the way he walks show what he is.

The Right Time to Speak

1 There is a correction that comes at the wrong time, and there is a person who is wise enough to keep silent. 2 How good it is to correct someone rather than be angry. 3 He who confesses will be kept from harm. 4 Someone who carries out judgments with violence is like a eunuch who desires to take a virgin’s virginity. 5 There is one who keeps silent and is considered wise, and there is one who is hated for his excessive talk.⁠a 6 There is one who keeps silent, for he has no answer to give, and there is one who keeps silent, knowing when to speak. 7 A wise man will be silent until his time has come, but the braggart and fool will miss his time.⁠b 8 He who uses many words will be detested.⁠c He who takes authority for himself will be hated for it.⁠d

Appearances and Reversals

9 There is a prosperity that a man finds in misfortunes, and there is a gain that turns to loss. 10 There is a gift that will not profit you, and there is a gift that pays back double. 11 There are losses because of glory, and there is one who has lifted up his head from a low position. 12 There is one who buys much for a little, and pays for it again seven times over. 13 He who is wise in words will make himself beloved, but the jokes of fools will be wasted.

14 The gift of a fool will not profit you, for he looks for repayment many times instead of one. 15 He will give little and insult much. He will open his mouth like a town crier. Today he will lend, and tomorrow he will ask for it back. Such a person is a hateful man. 16 The fool will say, “I have no friend, and I have no thanks for my good deeds. Those who eat my bread have an evil tongue.” 17 How often, and by how many people, will he be laughed at in contempt!

Careless Words and False Shame

18 A slip on a pavement is better than a slip with the tongue. So the fall of the wicked will come quickly. 19 A graceless man is like a story told at the wrong time. It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.⁠e 20 A parable from a fool’s mouth will be rejected, for he won’t tell it at the proper time.

21 There is one who is kept from sinning by poverty. When he rests, he will not be troubled. 22 There is one who destroys his soul through embarrassment. By a foolish expression, he will destroy it. 23 There is one who for embarrassment makes promises to his friend, and he makes him his enemy for nothing.

Lies and the Use of Wisdom

24 A lie is an ugly blot on a person. It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant. 25 A thief is better than a man who is constantly lying, but they both will inherit destruction. 26 The end of a liar is dishonor. His shame is with him continually.

27 He who is wise in words will advance himself. And one who is prudent will please important men. 28 He who cultivates his land will raise his harvest high. He who pleases important men will get pardon for wrongdoing. 29 Favors and gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and turn away correction like a muzzle on the mouth. 30 What use is wisdom that is hidden,⁠f or treasure that is out of sight? 31 A man who hides his foolishness is better than a man who hides his wisdom.

The Danger of Sin

1 My son, have you sinned? Do not do it again, and ask forgiveness for your past sins. 2 Run from sin as from a snake’s face, for if you go near, it will bite you. Its teeth are like lion’s teeth, killing people’s souls. 3 All wrongdoing is like a two-edged sword. There is no healing for its stroke. 4 Terror and violence will waste away riches. So the house of an arrogant man will be devastated.

5 A plea from a poor man’s mouth reaches to the ears of God, and his judgment comes quickly. 6 One who hates correction is in the path of the sinner. He who fears the Lord will repent in his heart.⁠a 7 He who is powerful in speech is known far away, but the man of understanding knows when he slips. 8 He who builds his house with other men’s money is like one who gathers stones for his own tomb. 9 The gathering of wicked men is like a bundle of loose flax fibers with a flame at its end. 10 The way of sinners is paved with stones, and at the end of it is the pit of Hades.⁠b

Wisdom and Foolishness

11 He who keeps the law becomes master of its intent. The fulfillment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom. 12 He who is not clever will not be instructed. There is a cleverness which makes bitterness increase. 13 A wise man’s knowledge will overflow like a flood, and his advice like a fountain of life. 14 A fool’s inner being are like a broken vessel. He will hold no knowledge.

15 If a man of knowledge hears a wise word, he will praise it and add to it. The undisciplined man hears it, and it displeases him, so he throws it away behind his back. 16 The chatter of a fool is like a burden on a journey, but grace will be found on the lips of the wise. 17 The words of a prudent man will be sought in the congregation. They will ponder his words in their heart.

18 Wisdom to a fool is like a destroyed house. The knowledge of an unwise man is talk without sense.⁠c 19 Instruction is like shackles on the feet of an unwise man, and like handcuffs on the right hand. 20 A fool lifts up his voice with laughter, but a clever man smiles quietly.⁠d 21 To a prudent man, instruction is like a gold ornament and like a bracelet on his right arm.⁠e

Courtesy and Careful Speech

22 The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but a man of experience will be ashamed of entering.⁠f 23 A foolish man peers into the door of a house, but a man who is instructed will stand outside. 24 It is rude for someone to listen at a door, but a prudent person will be distressed by the disgrace. 25 The lips of strangers will be distressed at these things, but the words of prudent men will be weighed in the balance.

26 The heart of fools is in their mouth, but the mouth of wise men is in their heart. 27 When the ungodly curses an adversary, he curses his own soul.⁠g 28 A gossip defiles his own soul, and will be hated wherever he travels.

Laziness and Undisciplined Children

1 A lazy man is compared to a stone that is defiled. Everyone will hiss at him in his disgrace. 2 A lazy man is compared to the filth of a manure heap. Anyone who picks it up will shake it out of his hand. 3 An undisciplined child is a disgrace to his father, and a foolish daughter is born to his loss. 4 A prudent daughter will inherit a husband of her own. She who brings shame is the grief of her father. 5 She who is arrogant brings shame on father and husband. She will be despised by both of them. 6 Ill-timed conversation is like music in mourning, but whipping and correction are wisdom in every season.⁠a

The Burden of Foolishness

9 He who teaches a fool is like one who glues pieces of pottery together, or like one who wakes a sleeper out of a deep sleep.⁠b 10 He who teaches a fool is like someone teaching a sleeping man. In the end he will say, “What is it?” 11 Weep for the dead, for he lacks light. Weep for a fool, for he lacks understanding. Weep more gently for the dead, because he has found rest, but the life of the fool is worse than death. 12 Mourning for the dead lasts seven days, but for a fool and an ungodly man, it lasts all the days of his life. 13 Don’t talk much with a foolish man, and don’t go to one who has no understanding. Beware of him, so that you do not have trouble and be defiled in his onslaught. Turn away from him, and you will find rest, and you won’t be worn out by his madness. 14 What would be heavier than lead? What is its name, but “Fool”? 15 Sand, salt, and a mass of iron are easier to bear than a man without understanding.

16 Timber fastened and bound into a building will not be loosened by shaking. So a heart established at the right time on well-considered advice will not be afraid. 17 A heart settled on considered understanding is like an ornament of plaster on a polished wall. 18 Fences set on a high place will not stand against the wind, so a fearful heart guided by a fool’s imagination will not stand against any fear.

The Preservation of Friendship

19 He who pricks the eye will make tears fall. He who pricks the heart makes it show feeling. 20 Whoever throws a stone at birds scares them away. He who insults a friend will dissolve friendship. 21 If you have drawn a sword against a friend, don’t despair, for there may be a way back. 22 If you have opened your mouth against a friend, don’t be afraid, for there may be reconciliation, unless it is for insulting, arrogance, revealing a secret, or a treacherous blow, for these things any friend will flee.⁠c

23 Gain trust with your neighbor in his poverty, so that you may be glad in his prosperity. Stay steadfast to him in his time of distress, so that you may share his inheritance. 24 Vapor and smoke from a furnace come before fire. So insults come before bloodshed. 25 I won’t be ashamed to shelter a friend. I won’t hide from him.⁠d 26 If any evil happens to me because of him, everyone who hears it will beware of him.⁠e

A Prayer for Guarded Speech

27 Who will set a watch over my mouth, and a seal of shrewdness on my lips, so that I do not fall from it, and my tongue does not destroy me?

A Prayer for Disciplined Desires

1 Lord, Father and Master of my life, don’t abandon me to their advice. Don’t let me fall because of them. 2 Who will set whips over my thought, and wise discipline over my heart, so that they do not spare me when I err or overlook their sins? 3 Otherwise my errors might multiply, and my sins increase, I might fall before my adversaries, and my enemy might gloat over me. 4 Lord, Father and God of my life, don’t give me arrogant eyes,⁠a 5 and turn away evil desire from me. 6 Let neither gluttony nor lust overtake me. Don’t give me over to a shameless mind.⁠b

Speech and Oaths

7 Listen, my children, to the discipline of the mouth. He who keeps it will not be caught.⁠c 8 The sinner will be overpowered through his lips. By them, the insulter and the arrogant will stumble. 9 Don’t make a habit of swearing oaths, and don’t make a habit of naming the Holy One,⁠d 10 for as a servant who is continually whipped will not lack bruises, so he also who swears and continually speaks the Name will not be cleansed from sin. 11 A man of many oaths will be filled with wrongdoing. The whip will not depart from his house. If he offends, his sin will be on him. If he disregards it, he has sinned doubly. If he has sworn falsely, he will not be justified, for his house will be filled with disasters.

12 There is a way of speaking that is clothed with death. Let it not be found in the inheritance of Jacob, for all these things will be far from the godly, and they will not wallow in sins. 13 Don’t make a habit of speaking with gross rudeness, for it involves sinful speech. 14 Remember your father and your mother, for you sit among important men, so that you do not forget yourself before them, and become a fool by your bad habit, so you may wish that you had not been born, and curse the day of your birth. 15 A man who is accustomed to abusive language won’t be corrected all the days of his life.

Uncontrolled Desires and Infidelity

16 Two kinds of people multiply sins, and the third will bring anger. A hot passion, like a burning fire, will not be put out until it is consumed. Someone who practices sexual immorality in his own flesh will never stop until he has burned out the fire. 17 All bread is sweet to someone who practices sexual immorality. He will not stop until he dies.

18 A man who goes astray from his own marriage bed says in his heart, “Who sees me? Darkness is around me, and the walls hide me. No one sees me. Who am I afraid of? The Most High will not remember my sins.”⁠e 19 The eyes of men are his terror. He doesn’t know that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun,⁠f seeing all the ways of men, and looking into secret places.⁠g 20 All things were known to him before they were created, and also after they were completed. 21 This man will be punished in the streets of the city. He will be seized where he least expects it.⁠h

22 So it is also with a wife who leaves her husband, and produces an heir by another man. 23 For first, she was disobedient to the law of the Most High. Second, she wronged her own husband. Third, she committed adultery through sexual immorality, and had children by another man. 24 She will be brought out into the congregation. Her punishment will extend to her children. 25 Her children will not take root. Her branches will bear no fruit.⁠i 26 She will leave a memory of herself as a curse. Her disgrace won’t be blotted out. 27 And those who are left behind will know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and nothing sweeter than to obey the commandments of the Lord.

Wisdom’s Praise

1 Wisdom will praise her own soul, and will proclaim her glory among her people.⁠a 2 She will open her mouth in the congregation of the Most High, and proclaim her glory in the presence of his power. 3 “I came out of the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist.⁠b 4 I lived in high places, and my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.⁠c 5 Alone I circled heaven, and walked in the depth of the abyss. 6 Among the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and among every people and nation, I obtained a possession. 7 Among all these I sought rest. In whose inheritance will I stay?

8 Then the Creator of all things gave me a command. He who created me settled my tent, and said, ‘Let your dwelling be in Jacob, and your inheritance in Israel.’⁠d 9 He created me from the beginning, before the ages. For all ages, I will not cease to exist.⁠e 10 In the holy tabernacle, I served before him. So I was established in Zion. 11 In the beloved city, likewise he gave me rest. My domain was in Jerusalem. 12 I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.

13 I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, and like a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.⁠f 14 I was exalted like a palm tree on the seashore, like rose bushes in Jericho, and like a beautiful olive tree in the plain. I was exalted like a plane tree. 15 Like cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent to perfumes. Like choice myrrh, I spread a pleasant fragrance, like galbanum,⁠g onycha, stacte,⁠h and like the smell of frankincense in the tabernacle. 16 Like the terebinth, I stretched out my branches. My branches are glorious and graceful. 17 Like the vine, I produced grace. My flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.

19 “Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled with my fruits. 20 For my memory is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance than the honeycomb. 21 Those who eat me will be hungry for more. Those who drink me will be thirsty for more. 22 He who obeys me will not be ashamed. Those who work with me will not sin.”⁠i

Wisdom and the Covenant

23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God, the law which Moses commanded us for an inheritance for the assemblies of Jacob.⁠j 25 It is he who makes wisdom abundant, like the Pishon, and like the Tigris in the days of first fruits.⁠k 26 He makes understanding full like the Euphrates, and like the Jordan in the days of harvest, 27 who makes instruction shine like the light, like the Gihon in the days of grape harvest. 28 The first man didn’t know her perfectly. In the same way, the last has not explored her.⁠l 29 For her thoughts are filled from the sea, and her advice from the great deep.

Teaching for Future Generations

30 I came out like a canal stream from a river, and like an irrigation ditch into a garden. 31 I said, “I will water my garden, and will drench my garden bed.” Look, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea. 32 I will yet bring instruction to light like the morning, and will make these things clear from far away.⁠m 33 I will continue to pour out teaching like prophecy, and leave it to all generations.⁠n 34 See that I have not worked only for myself, but for all those who diligently seek wisdom.

Harmony and the Wisdom of Age

1 I enjoy three things, and they are beautiful to the Lord and to people: the agreement of relatives, the friendship of neighbors, and a woman and her husband who walk together in agreement. 2 But my soul hates three kinds of people, and I am greatly offended by how they live: a poor man who is arrogant, a rich man who is a liar, and an old fool who is an adulterer.

3 If you gathered nothing in your youth, how could you find anything in your old age? 4 How beautiful is judgment among the gray-haired, and for elders to know good advice!⁠a 5 How beautiful is the wisdom of old men, and understanding and advice to honored men! 6 Much experience is the crown of the aged. Their glory is the fear of the Lord.⁠b

The Things That Bring Happiness

7 There are nine things I have thought about and judged fortunate in my heart, and I will speak of a tenth with my tongue:⁠c a man who has joy with his children, and a man who lives and sees the fall of his enemies.⁠d 8 Happy is he who lives with a wife of understanding, he who has not slipped with his tongue, and he who has not served a man who is unworthy of him. 9 Happy is he who has found prudence, and he who speaks in the ears of those who listen. 10 How great is he who has found wisdom! Yet there is no one greater than one who fears the Lord. 11 The fear of the Lord surpasses all things. To whom can someone who holds it be compared?

Hostility and a Troubled Marriage

13 Any wound but a wound of the heart! Any wickedness but the wickedness of a woman!⁠e 14 Any disaster but a disaster from those who hate me! Any vengeance but the vengeance of enemies! 15 There is no venom worse than a snake’s venom. There is no anger worse than an enemy’s anger.

16 I would rather live with a lion and a dragon than keep house with a wicked woman. 17 The wickedness of a woman changes her appearance, and darkens her face like that of a bear. 18 Her husband will sit among his neighbors, and when he hears it, he sighs bitterly. 19 All malice is small compared to the malice of a woman. Let a sinner’s fate fall on her. 20 A wife full of words is to a quiet man what walking up a sandy hill is to the feet of the elderly. 21 Don’t be ensnared by a woman’s beauty. Don’t desire a woman for her beauty. 22 There is anger, shamelessness, and great disgrace if a woman supports her husband.⁠f

23 A wicked woman is a downcast heart, a sad face, and a wounded heart. A woman who won’t make her husband happy is like hands that hang down, and weak knees.⁠g 24 The beginning of sin came from a woman. Because of her, we all die.⁠h 25 Don’t give water an outlet, and don’t give a wicked woman freedom of speech. 26 If she doesn’t follow your directions, cut her away from your flesh.⁠i

Happiness in Marriage

1 Happy is the husband of a good wife. The number of his days will be doubled. 2 A faithful wife gives joy to her husband. He will fulfill his years in peace. 3 A good wife is a great gift. She will be given to those who fear the Lord.⁠a 4 Whether a man is rich or poor, a good heart makes a cheerful face at all times.

Fears and Family Discord

5 My heart was afraid of three things, and I prayed about a fourth: The slander of a city, the assembly of a mob, and a false accusation. All these are more painful than death. 6 A woman who is jealous of another woman is grief of heart and sorrow. Her tongue-lashing makes it known to all. 7 A wicked woman is like a chafing yoke. He who takes hold of her is like one who grasps a scorpion. 8 A drunken woman causes great anger. She will not cover her own shame.⁠b 9 A woman’s sexual immorality shows in her raised eyes and will be known by her eyelids.⁠c 10 Keep strict watch on a headstrong daughter, in case she finds freedom for herself and uses it. 11 Watch out for an shameless eye, and don’t be surprised if it sins against you. 12 She will open her mouth like a thirsty traveler, and drink from every water that is near. She will sit down at every post, and open her quiver to any arrow.

A Good Wife’s Gifts

13 The grace of a wife will delight her husband. Her knowledge will strengthen his bones. 14 A silent woman is a gift from the Lord. Nothing is worth as much as a well-instructed soul. 15 A modest woman is grace added to grace. There are no scales that can weigh the value of a self-controlled soul. 16 The beauty of a good wife in her well-organized home is like the sun rising in the highest places of the Lord. 17 The beauty of a face on a well-proportioned body is like a lamp shining on the holy lampstand. 18 Beautiful feet with the breasts of someone steadfast are like golden pillars on a silver base.

Causes of Sorrow

28 For two things my heart is distressed, and for the third anger comes on me: a warrior who suffers because of poverty, men of understanding who are counted as garbage, and one who turns back from righteousness to sin. The Lord will prepare him for the sword!

The Risks of Commerce

29 It is difficult for a merchant to keep himself from wrongdoing, and for a retailer to be acquitted of sin.⁠d

The Temptations of Commerce

1 Many have sinned for profit. He who seeks to multiply wealth will turn his eye away. 2 Sin pushes in between buying and selling like a nail wedged between the joints of stones. 3 Unless a person holds on diligently to the fear of the Lord, his house will be overthrown quickly.

Testing Character through Words

4 When a sieve is shaken, refuse remains. So a person’s filth remains in his thoughts.⁠a 5 The furnace tests the potter’s vessels, so the test of a person is in his thoughts.⁠b 6 The fruit of a tree reveals its cultivation, and spoken words reveal the thoughts of a person’s heart.⁠c 7 Praise no man before you hear his thoughts, for this is how people are tested. 8 If you follow righteousness, you will obtain it, and put it on like a long robe of glory. 9 Birds will return to their own kind, so truth will return to those who practice it. 10 The lion lies in wait for prey. So does sin for those who do evil.

The Talk of Fools

11 The speech of a godly man is always wise, but the fool changes like the moon. 12 Limit your time among people without understanding, but persevere among the thoughtful.⁠d 13 The talk of fools is offensive. Their laughter is recklessly sinful. 14 Their talk with much swearing makes hair stand on end. Their quarrels makes others plug their ears. 15 The quarrels of the proud leads to bloodshed. Their abuse of each other is painful to hear.

Keeping a Friend’s Secrets

16 He who reveals secrets destroys trust, and will not find a close friend. 17 Love a friend, and keep faith with him, but if you reveal his secrets, do not follow him, 18 for you have destroyed your neighbor’s friendship like a man who has destroyed his enemy. 19 You have let your neighbor go like a bird released from your hand, and you will not catch him again. 20 Don’t pursue him, for he has gone far away, and has escaped like a gazelle out of the snare. 21 For a wound may be bandaged, and after abuse there may be reconciliation, but he who reveals secrets is without hope.

Deception and Its Consequences

22 One who winks the eye plans evil things, and those who know him will keep their distance.⁠e 23 When you are present, he will speak sweetly, and will admire your words, but afterward he will twist his speech and set a trap in your words. 24 I have hated many things, but nothing like him. The Lord will hate him. 25 One who throws a stone straight up throws it on his own head. A deceitful blow opens wounds. 26 He who digs a pit will fall into it. He who sets a snare will be caught in it. 27 The evil a person does will roll back on him, and he will not know where they came from. 28 Mockery and reproach are from the arrogant. Vengeance lies in wait for them like a lion. 29 Those who celebrate the fall of the godly will be caught in a snare. Anguish will consume them before they die.

Anger and Forgiveness

30 Fury and anger are also detestable. A sinner will possess them.

Forgiveness and Restraint

1 He who takes vengeance will find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins in mind.⁠a 2 Forgive your neighbor the hurt that he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.⁠b 3 Does anyone harbor anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?⁠c 4 He has no mercy on a man like himself, yet does he pray for his own sins?⁠d 5 He himself, being flesh, nourishes anger. Who will make atonement for his sins? 6 Remember the end of your life, and put an end to hostility. Remember decay and death, and be true to the commandments. 7 Remember the commandments, and don’t be angry with your neighbor. Remember the covenant of the Highest, and overlook ignorance.

The Fire of Quarrels

8 Stay away from quarrels, and you will reduce your sins, for a hot-tempered man will ignite quarrels. 9 A man who is a sinner will trouble friends and sow discord among those who are at peace. 10 A fire burns according to its fuel, and a quarrel burns according to its intensity. A man’s anger matches his strength, and he increases his anger according to his wealth. 11 A quarrel begun in haste ignites a fire, and hasty fighting sheds blood. 12 If you blow on a spark, it will burn, and if you spit on it, it will be put out. Both of these come out of your mouth.⁠e

The Damage of Slander

13 Curse the gossip and the person who speaks with two tongues, for he has destroyed many who were at peace.⁠f 14 A slanderer has shaken many, and dispersed them from nation to nation. It has pulled down strong cities and overthrown the houses of important men. 15 A slanderer has driven out brave women and deprived them of their labors. 16 He who listens to it will not find rest, nor will he live quietly. 17 The stroke of a whip makes a mark in the flesh, but the stroke of a tongue will break bones.

18 Many have fallen by the edge of the sword, yet not so many as those who have fallen because of the tongue. 19 Happy is he who is sheltered from it, who has not passed through its fury, who has not drawn its yoke, and has not been bound with its bands. 20 For its yoke is a yoke of iron, and its bands are bands of brass. 21 The death it causes is an evil death, and Hades is better than it. 22 It will not have power over godly men. They will not be burned in its flame. 23 Those who abandon the Lord will fall into it. It will burn among them, and won’t be put out. It will be sent against them like a lion. It will destroy them like a leopard.

Guarding the Mouth

24 As you surround your possessions with a thorn hedge, and secure your silver and your gold,⁠g 25 so make a set of scales and a weight for your words, and make a door and a bar for your mouth. 26 Be careful not to slip with it, so that you do not fall before one who lies in wait.

Lending and Repayment

1 He who shows mercy will lend to his neighbor. He who strengthens him with his hand keeps the commandments. 2 Lend to your neighbor in time of his need. Repay your neighbor on time. 3 Stand by your word, and keep faith with him, and at all times you will find what you need. 4 Many have considered a loan to be a windfall, and have given trouble to those who helped them. 5 Until he has received it, he will kiss a man’s hands. For his neighbor’s money he will speak submissively. Then when payment is due, he will prolong the time, return excuses, and complain about the timing. 6 If he prevails, the creditor will hardly receive half, and he will count it as a windfall. If not, he has deprived him of his money, and he has made him an enemy without cause. He will pay him with curses and abuse. Instead of honor, he will repay him with disgrace. 7 Many because of fraud have turned away. They are afraid of being defrauded for nothing.

Generosity to the Poor

8 However be patient with a man in poor circumstances. Don’t keep him waiting for your gifts to the poor. 9 Help a poor man for the commandment’s sake. Don’t send him away empty-handed when he is in need.⁠a 10 Lose your money for a brother and a friend. Don’t let it rust under a stone and be lost.⁠b 11 Allocate your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High and it will profit you more than gold.⁠c 12 Store up your giving to the poor in your storehouses and it will rescue you from all distress.⁠d 13 It will fight for you against your enemy better than a mighty shield and a heavy spear.

Guaranteeing Another Person’s Debt

14 A good man will guarantee his neighbor’s debt. He who has lost shame will fail him.⁠e 15 Don’t forget the kindness of your guarantor, for he has given his life for you. 16 A sinner will waste the property of his guarantor. 17 He who is thankless will fail him who delivered him. 18 Guaranteeing debts has ruined many who were prospering and shaken them like a wave of the sea. It has driven powerful men from their homes. They wandered among foreign nations. 19 A sinner who falls into guaranteeing a debt and undertakes contracts for work will fall into lawsuits. 20 Help your neighbor as much as you can, and be careful not to fall yourself.⁠f

Contentment and Independence

21 The essentials of life are water, bread, clothing, and a house for privacy. 22 A poor man’s life under a shelter of logs is better than rich food in another man’s house. 23 With little or with much, be well satisfied. 24 It is a miserable life to go from house to house. Where you are a guest, you don’t dare to open your mouth. 25 You will entertain, serve drinks, and have no thanks. In addition to this, you will hear bitter words. 26 “Come here, you stranger, set a table, and if you have anything in your hand, feed me with it.” 27 “Leave, you stranger, for an honored guest is here. My brother has come to be my guest. I need my house.” 28 These things are painful to a man of understanding: The scolding about lodging and the insults of creditors.

The Discipline of Children

1 He who loves his son will continue to whip him, so that he may have joy from him in the end. 2 He who disciplines his son will benefit from him, and will brag about him among his acquaintances. 3 He who teaches his son will provoke his enemy to jealousy. Before friends, he will be delighted with him. 4 His father dies, and it is as though he had not died, for he has left one behind him like himself. 5 In his life, he saw his son and was glad. When he died, it was without regret. 6 He left behind him an avenger against his enemies, and one to repay kindness to his friends.

7 He who overindulges his son will bind up his wounds. His heart will be troubled at every cry. 8 An unbroken horse becomes stubborn. An unrestrained son becomes headstrong.⁠a 9 Pamper your child, and he will make you afraid. Play with him, and he will grieve you. 10 Don’t laugh with him, in case you have sorrow with him, and you grind your teeth in the end. 11 Give him no freedom in his youth, and don’t ignore his foolish acts. 12 Bend his neck in his youth, and beat him on the sides while he is a child, so that he does not become stubborn,⁠b and disobey you, bringing sorrow to your soul. 13 Discipline your son, and give him work, so that his shameless behavior is not an offense to you.

The Value of Health

14 A poor man who is healthy and fit is better than a rich man whose body is afflicted. 15 Health and fitness are better than all gold, and a strong body better than wealth without measure. 16 There is no wealth better than health of body. There is no gladness greater than the joy of the heart. 17 Death is better than a bitter life, and eternal rest than an ongoing sickness.⁠c

18 Good things poured out on a mouth that is closed are like food offerings laid on a grave.⁠d 19 What does an offering profit an idol? For it can’t eat or smell. So it is with anyone who is punished by the Lord,⁠e 20 seeing with his eyes and groaning, like a eunuch embracing a virgin and groaning.

Cheerfulness and Freedom from Anxiety

21 Don’t give your soul to sorrow. Don’t make yourself suffer deliberately. 22 Gladness of heart is the life of a man. Cheerfulness of a man lengthens his days. 23 Love your own soul,⁠f and comfort your heart. Keep sorrow far away from you, for sorrow has destroyed many, and there is no profit in it. 24 Envy and anger shorten life. Anxiety brings old age before its time. 25 Those who are cheerful and joyful will benefit from their food.

Wealth and Its Anxieties

1 Wakefulness that comes from riches consumes the flesh, and anxiety about it takes away sleep. 2 Wakeful anxiety will crave sleep. In a severe disease, sleep will be broken. 3 A rich man toils in gathering money together. When he rests, he is filled with his good things. 4 A poor man toils in a lack of possessions. When he rests, he becomes needy.

The Test of Wealth

5 He who loves gold won’t be justified. He who follows destruction will himself have his fill of it. 6 Many have been given over to ruin for the sake of gold. Their destruction meets them face to face. 7 It is a stumbling block to those who sacrifice to it. Every fool will be taken by it. 8 Blessed is the rich person who is found blameless, and who doesn’t go after gold.⁠a 9 Who is he, so that we may call him blessed? For he has done wonderful things among his people.⁠b 10 Who has been tested by it, and found perfect? Then let him boast. Who has had the power to break the law and has not broken it? And to do evil, and has not done it? 11 His prosperity will be secured. The congregation will proclaim his gifts to the poor.

Manners at a Banquet

12 Do you sit at a great table? Don’t be greedy there. Don’t say, “There is a lot of food on it!” 13 Remember that a greedy eye is a wicked thing. What has been created more greedy than an eye? Therefore it sheds tears from every face. 14 Don’t stretch your hand wherever it looks. Don’t thrust yourself with it into the dish. 15 Consider your neighbor’s feelings by your own.⁠c Be considerate in everything.⁠d 16 Eat what is set before you like a human being. Don’t eat greedily, so that you are not hated.⁠e 17 Be first to stop out of politeness. Don’t be insatiable, so that you do not offend. 18 And if you sit among many, don’t reach out your hand before them.

19 Very little is enough for a well-mannered man. He doesn’t breathe heavily in his bed. 20 Healthy sleep comes from moderate eating.⁠f He rises early, and his wits are with him. The pain of wakefulness, colic, and stomach cramps are with an insatiable man.⁠g 21 And if you have been forced to eat, get up in the middle of it, and you will have rest. 22 Listen to me, my son, and don’t despise me, and in the end you will appreciate my words. In all your works be skillful, and no disease will come to you.

23 People bless him who is generous with his food. The testimony of his excellence will be believed. 24 The city will murmur at him who is stingy with his food. The testimony of his stinginess will be accurate.

Moderation in Drinking

25 Don’t show yourself brave in wine, for wine has destroyed many.⁠h 26 The furnace tests the temper of steel by dipping, and so does wine test hearts in the quarreling of the proud. 27 Wine is as good as life to men, if you drink it in moderation.⁠i What life is there to a man who is without wine? It has been created to make men glad. 28 Wine drunk at the right time and in moderation is joy of heart and gladness of soul. 29 Wine drunk excessively is bitterness of soul, with provocation and conflict.⁠j 30 Drunkenness increases the rage of a fool to his hurt. It reduces strength and adds wounds. 31 Don’t rebuke your neighbor at a banquet of wine. Don’t despise him in his joy. Don’t speak a word of blame to him.⁠k Don’t distress him by making demands of him.

Conduct at a Banquet

1 Have they put you in charge of a feast? Don’t become proud. Be among them as one of them. Take care of them first, and then sit down. 2 And when you have done all your duties, take your place, so that you may be glad because of them, and receive a wreath for your good service. 3 Speak, you who are older, for it’s your right, but with sound knowledge, and don’t interrupt the music. 4 Don’t pour out talk where there is a performance of music. Don’t display your wisdom at the wrong time. 5 A music concert at a wine banquet is like a ruby signet in a gold setting. 6 Musical melody with pleasant wine is like an emerald signet in gold work.

7 Speak, young man, if you are obliged to, but no more than twice, and only if asked. 8 Sum up your speech with many things in few words. Be like someone who knows and yet holds his tongue. 9 When among important men, don’t behave like their equal. When another is speaking, don’t babble. 10 Lightning speeds before thunder. Approval goes before one who is modest.

11 Get up in good time, and don’t be last. Go home quickly and don’t loiter.⁠a 12 Amuse yourself there and do what is in your heart. Don’t sin by proud speech. 13 For these things bless your Maker, who lets you drink freely of his good things.

Wisdom and Reverence

14 He who fears the Lord will receive discipline. Those who seek him early will find favor. 15 He who seeks the law will be filled with it, but the hypocrite will stumble at it. 16 Those who fear the Lord will find true judgment, and will ignite righteous acts like a light. 17 A sinful man avoids correction,⁠b and will find a judgment that suits his will.

Careful Thought before Action

18 A sensible person won’t neglect a thought. An insolent and proud man won’t crouch in fear, even after he has acted alone without advice. 19 Do nothing without advice, but when you have acted, don’t regret it. 20 Don’t take a path of conflict. Don’t stumble in stony places. 21 Don’t be overconfident on a smooth road. 22 Beware of your own children. 23 In every action guard your own soul, for this means obeying the commandments. 24 He who believes the law pays attention to the commandment. He who trusts in the Lord will suffer no loss.

Faithfulness and Thoughtful Speech

1 No evil will happen to him who fears the Lord, but in trials again and again he will deliver him.⁠a 2 A wise man will not hate the law, but he who is a hypocrite about it is like a boat in a storm. 3 A man of understanding will put his trust in the law. And the law is faithful to him, as when one asks a divine oracle.⁠b 4 Prepare your speech, and so you will be heard. Bind up instruction, and make your answer. 5 The heart of a fool is like a cartwheel. His thoughts are like a rolling axle. A stallion horse is like a mocking friend. 6 He neighs under everyone who sits on him.⁠c

God’s Ordering of Days and People

7 Why is one day better than another, when all the light of every day in the year is from the sun? 8 They were distinguished by the Lord’s knowledge, and he varied seasons and feasts. 9 Some of them he exalted and made holy, and some of them he has made ordinary days. 10 And all men are from the ground. Adam was created from dust. 11 In the abundance of his knowledge the Lord distinguished them, and made their ways different. 12 Some of them he blessed and exalted, and some of them he made holy and brought near to himself. Some of them he cursed and brought low, and overthrew them from their place.⁠d 13 Just as clay is in a potter’s hand and all his ways follow his pleasure, people are in the hand of their Maker, who gives to them according to his judgment. 14 Good is the opposite of evil, and life is the opposite of death, so the sinner is the opposite of the godly.⁠e 15 Look at all the works of the Most High like this. They come in pairs, one against another.

The Teacher’s Work

16 I was the last on watch, like one who gleans after the grape gatherers. 17 By the Lord’s blessing I arrived before them, and filled my winepress like one who gathers grapes. 18 Consider that I did not work for myself alone, but for all those who seek instruction.

Keeping Control of One’s Property

19 Listen to me, you important men of the people, and listen with your ears, you rulers of the congregation. 20 To son and wife, to brother and friend, don’t give power over yourself while you live, and don’t give your possessions to another, so that you do not regret it and have to ask for them. 21 While you still live and breath is in you, don’t give yourself over to anybody. 22 For it is better that your children should ask from you than that you should rely on the hands of your children.⁠f 23 Excel in all your works. Don’t bring a stain on your honor. 24 On the day your life draws to an end, at the time of death, distribute your inheritance.

The Treatment of Servants

25 Animal feed, a stick, and burdens are for a donkey. Bread, discipline, and work are for a servant. 26 Set your slave to work, and you will find rest. Leave his hands idle, and he will seek freedom. 27 Yoke and whip will bend the neck. For an evil slave there are racks and tortures. 28 Send him to work, so that he is not idle, 29 for idleness teaches much bad behavior. 30 Set him to work, as is appropriate for him. If he doesn’t obey, make his shackles heavy. Don’t be excessive toward anyone. Do nothing unjust. 31 If you have a slave, treat him like yourself,⁠g because you have bought him with blood. If you have a slave, treat him like yourself. For like your own soul, you will need him.⁠h 32 If you treat him badly, and he departs and runs away, 33 which way will you go to look for him?

Dreams and Empty Hopes

1 Empty and false hopes are for a man without understanding. Dreams give wings to fools.⁠a 2 Someone who sets his mind on dreams is like someone grasping at a shadow and chasing the wind. 3 The vision of dreams is a reflection, the likeness of a face near a face.⁠b 4 What clean thing can come from something unclean? What true thing can come from something false? 5 Divination, fortune-telling, and dreams are empty. The heart has fantasies like a woman in labor.⁠c 6 If they are not sent in a visit from the Most High, don’t give your heart to them. 7 For dreams have led many astray. They have failed by putting their hope in them. 8 Without lying the law will be fulfilled. Wisdom is complete in a faithful mouth.

Experience and Trust in God

9 A well-instructed man knows many things. He who has much experience will express understanding. 10 He who has no experience knows few things.⁠d 11 But he who has traveled increases cleverness. 12 I have seen many things in my travels. My understanding is more than my words. 13 I was often in danger of death. I was preserved because of these experiences.

14 The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,⁠e 15 for their hope is in him who saves them. 16 Whoever fears the Lord won’t be afraid, and won’t be a coward, for the Lord is his hope. 17 Blessed is the soul of him who fears the Lord. 18 To whom does he pay attention? Who is his support? 19 The eyes of the Lord are on those who love him, a strong protection and strong support, a shelter from the hot wind, a shade from the noonday sun, a guard from stumbling, and a help from falling. 20 He lifts up the soul, and enlightens the eyes. He gives health, life, and blessing.

Unacceptable Offerings

21 If someone sacrifices something wrongfully acquired, his offering is made in mockery. 22 The mockeries of wicked men are not acceptable.⁠f 23 The Most High has no pleasure in the offerings of the ungodly, nor is he appeased for sins by a great number of sacrifices.

24 Someone who brings a sacrifice from the goods of the poor is like someone who kills a son before his father’s eyes. 25 The bread of the needy is the life of the poor. He who deprives him of it is one who sheds blood.⁠g 26 Someone who takes away his neighbor’s living is like someone who murders him. 27 Someone who deprives a hired worker of his wages is like someone who sheds blood.

28 When one builds, and another pulls down, what profit do they have but toil? 29 When one prays, and another curses, whose voice will the Lord listen to? 30 What does a man gain by washing after touching a dead body if he touches it again?⁠h 31 In the same way, who will listen to the prayer of a man who fasts for his sins and goes back and does the same?⁠i What profit does he have in his humiliation?

Worship and Obedience

1 He who keeps the law multiplies offerings. 2 He who obeys the commandments sacrifices a peace offering. 3 He who returns a kindness offers fine flour. 4 He who gives to the poor sacrifices a thank offering. 5 To turn away from wickedness pleases the Lord. To turn away from wrongdoing is an atoning sacrifice. 6 See that you don’t appear in the presence of the Lord empty-handed. 7 For all these things are done because of the commandment.

8 The offering of the righteous enriches the altar. The sweet fragrance of it is before the Most High. 9 The sacrifice of a righteous man is acceptable. It won’t be forgotten. 10 Glorify the Lord with generosity. Don’t reduce the first fruits of your hands. 11 In every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness.⁠a 12 Give to the Most High just as he has given. As your hand has found, give generously. 13 For the Lord repays, and he will repay you seven times over.

God’s Impartial Justice

14 Don’t plan to bribe him with gifts, for he will not receive them. 15 Don’t set your mind on an unrighteous sacrifice, for the Lord is the judge, and he shows no favoritism.⁠b 16 He won’t favor anyone against a poor man. He will listen to the prayer of him who is wronged.

17 He will in no way despise the plea of the fatherless or the widow, when she pours out her tale.⁠c 18 Don’t the tears of the widow run down her cheek? 19 Isn’t her cry against him who has caused them to fall? 20 He who serves God according to his good pleasure will be accepted. His plea will reach to the clouds.

21 The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds. Until it comes near, he will not be comforted. He won’t depart until the Most High visits and he judges righteously and executes judgment.⁠d 22 And the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be patient toward them, until he has crushed the backs of the unmerciful.⁠e 23 He will take vengeance on the nations until he has taken away the great number of arrogant people and broken in pieces the scepters of the unrighteous, 24 until he has repaid every man according to his deeds, and repaid the works of men according to their plans, 25 until he has judged the case of his people, and he will make them glad in his mercy. 26 Mercy is as welcome in the time of his distress as clouds of rain in the time of drought.

A Prayer for Israel’s Restoration

1 Have mercy on us, Lord the God of all, and look at us with favor,⁠a 2 and send your fear on all the nations.⁠b 3 Lift up your hand against the foreign nations and let them see your mighty power.⁠c 4 As you showed your holiness in us before them, so make your greatness visible in them before us.⁠d 5 Let them know you, as we also have known you, so that there is no God but only you, God. 6 Show new signs, and work various wonders. 7 Glorify your hand and your right arm. 8 Stir up fury and pour out anger. 9 Take away the adversary and destroy the enemy. 10 Make the time come quickly and remember your oath. Let them declare your mighty works.

11 Let him who escapes be devoured by raging fire. May those who harm your people find destruction. 12 Crush the heads of the enemy rulers who say, “There is no one but ourselves.” 13 Gather all the tribes of Jacob together, 16 and take them for your inheritance, as from the beginning.

17 Lord, have mercy on the people that is called by your name, and on Israel, whom you likened to a firstborn. 18 Have compassion on the city of your sanctuary, Jerusalem, the place of your rest. 19 Fill Zion. Exalt your oracles and fill your people with your glory. 20 Give testimony to those who were your creatures in the beginning, and fulfill the prophecies that have been spoken in your name. 21 Reward those who wait for you, and people will put their trust in your prophets. 22 Listen, Lord, to the prayer of your servants, according to the blessing of Aaron concerning your people, and all those who are on the earth will know that you are the Lord, the eternal God.⁠e

Discernment and a Good Companion

23 The belly will eat any food, but one food is better than another. 24 Just as the mouth tastes hunted game, an understanding heart detects false speech. 25 An obstinate heart will cause heaviness. A man of experience will pay him back.

26 A woman will receive any man, but one daughter is better than another. 27 The beauty of a woman cheers the face. A man desires nothing more. 28 If kindness and humility are on her tongue, her husband is not like other men. 29 He who gets a wife gets his richest treasure, a helper fit for him and a pillar of support. 30 Where there is no hedge, the property will be plundered. He who has no wife will mourn as he wanders. 31 For who would trust a nimble robber who skips from city to city? In the same way, who would trust a man who has no nest, and stays wherever he finds himself at nightfall?⁠f

Friendship and Loyalty

1 Every friend will say, “I am also his friend,” but there is a friend who is only a friend in name. 2 Isn’t it grief close to death when a companion and friend becomes an enemy?⁠a 3 Wicked imagination, why were you formed to cover the dry land with deceit? 4 There is a companion who shares a friend’s gladness, but in time of distress will be against him.⁠b 5 There is a companion who for the belly’s sake labors with his friend, yet in the face of battle will carry his shield. 6 Don’t forget a friend in your soul. Don’t neglect him in your riches.

Choosing Counselors

7 Every counselor praises advice, but some give advice in their own interest. 8 Let your soul beware of a counselor, and know in advance what his interest is, for he will take advice for himself, in case he casts the lot against you, 9 and say to you, “Your way is good.” Then he will stand near you, to see what will happen to you. 10 Don’t consult with one who looks sideways at you. Hide your advice from those who are jealous of you. 11 Don’t consult with a woman about her rival, with a coward about war, with a merchant about business, with a buyer about selling, with an envious man about thankfulness, with an unmerciful man about kindness, with a lazy man about any kind of work, with a hired worker in your house about finishing his work, or with an idle servant about much business. Pay no attention to these in any matter of advice. 12 But rather be continually with a godly man, whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments, who in his soul is like your own soul, and who will grieve with you, if you fail. 13 Stand by the advice of your heart, for there is no one more faithful to you than it. 14 For a man’s soul can sometimes inform him better than seven watchmen who sit on high on a watchtower. 15 Above all this ask the Most High that he may direct your way in truth.

Wisdom in Speech and Life

16 Let reason be the beginning of every work. Let advice precede every action. 17 As a sign of the changing of the heart, 18 four kinds of things rise: good and evil, life and death. That which rules over them continually is the tongue.⁠c 19 There is one who is clever and the instructor of many, and yet does not benefit his own soul. 20 There is one who is subtle in words, and is hated. He will be left without any food. 21 For grace was not given to him from the Lord, because he is deprived of all wisdom. 22 There is one who is wise to his own soul, and the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy in the mouth. 23 A wise man will instruct his own people. The fruits of his understanding are trustworthy. 24 A wise man will be filled with blessing. All those who see him will call him happy. 25 The life of a man is counted by days. The days of Israel are innumerable. 26 The wise man will inherit confidence among his people. His name will live forever.

Moderation in Eating

27 My son, test your soul in your life. See what is evil for it, and don’t give in to it.⁠d 28 For not all things are beneficial for all men. Not every soul has pleasure in everything. 29 Don’t be insatiable in any luxury. Don’t be greedy in the things that you eat. 30 For overeating brings disease, and gluttony causes nausea. 31 Because of gluttony, many have died, but he who is careful will live longer.

Honor for Physicians

1 Honor a physician according to your need with the honors due to him, for truly the Lord has created him.⁠a 2 For healing comes from the Most High, and he will receive a gift from the king. 3 The skill of the physician will lift up his head. He will be admired in the sight of important men. 4 The Lord created medicines out of the earth. A prudent man will not despise them.⁠b 5 Wasn’t water made sweet with wood, so that its power might be known?⁠c 6 He gave men skill so that he might be glorified in his marvelous works. 7 With them he heals and takes away pain. 8 With these, the pharmacist makes a mixture. God’s works won’t be brought to an end. From him, peace is on the face of the earth.

Seeking Healing

9 My son, in your sickness don’t be negligent, but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.⁠d 10 Put away wrongdoing, and direct your hands in righteousness. Cleanse your heart from all sin. 11 Give a pleasant fragrance and a memorial of fine flour, and pour oil on your offering, according to your means. 12 Then make room to the physician, for truly the Lord has created him. Don’t let him leave you, for you need him. 13 There is a time when recovery is in their hands. 14 For they too will ask the Lord to make them successful in diagnosis and in healing for preserving life. 15 He who sins before his Maker, let him fall into the hands of the physician.

Mourning the Dead

16 My son, let your tears fall over the dead, and like someone in great pain, begin your lament. Wrap his body with due honor. Don’t neglect his burial. 17 Weep bitterly and wail passionately. Let your mourning be according to his merit, for one day or two, so that people do not speak evil of you, and then be comforted in your sorrow. 18 For death comes from sorrow. Sorrow of heart saps one’s strength. 19 In disaster, sorrow also remains. A poor man’s life is painful to the heart. 20 Don’t give your heart to sorrow. Put it away, remembering the end. 21 Don’t forget it, for there is no returning again. You do him no good, and you would harm yourself. 22 Remember his end, for yours will be like it: yesterday for him, and today for you. 23 When the dead person is at rest, let his remembrance rest. Be comforted for him when his spirit departs from him.⁠e

Craftsmen and the Scribe

24 A scribe gains wisdom from the opportunity for leisure. He who has little business can become wise. 25 How could he become wise who holds the plow, who glories in the shaft of the goad, who drives oxen and is occupied in their labors, and who mostly talks about bulls? 26 He will set his heart on turning his furrows. He stays awake to give his heifers their feed. 27 So it is with every craftsman and master artisan who spends his time by night as by day,⁠f those who cut engravings of signets. He works carefully to make great variety. He sets his heart to keep his portraits lifelike, and is careful to finish his work. 28 So too it is with the smith sitting by the anvil and considering the unworked iron. The smoke of the fire will wear away his flesh. He toils in the heat of the furnace. The noise of the hammer deafens his ear. His eyes are on the pattern of the object. He will set his heart on perfecting his works. He will be careful to decorate them perfectly. 29 So it is with the potter sitting at his work and turning the wheel around with his feet, who is always anxiously focused on his work. He produces his handiwork in quantity. 30 He will fashion the clay with his arm and will bend its strength in front of his feet. He will set his heart on finishing the glazing. He will be careful to clean the kiln.

31 All these put their trust in their hands. Each becomes skillful in his own work. 32 Without these no city would be inhabited. Men wouldn’t reside as foreigners or walk up and down there. 33 They won’t be sought out in the council of the people. They won’t rise high in the assembly. They won’t sit on the seat of the judge. They won’t understand the covenant of judgment. Neither will they declare instruction and judgment. They won’t be found where parables are. 34 But they will maintain the fabric of the age. Their prayer is in the handiwork of their craft. This is not so for someone who has devoted his soul and meditates in the law of the Most High.

The Life and Legacy of a Scribe

1 He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients and will be occupied with prophecies. 2 He will keep the sayings of the famous men and will enter into the subtleties of parables.⁠a 3 He will seek out the hidden meaning of proverbs and be familiar with the puzzling sayings of parables. 4 He will serve among important men and appear before him who rules. He will travel through the land of foreign nations,⁠b for he has learned what is good and evil among men. 5 He will set his heart to return early to the Lord who made him, and will plead before the Most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and will ask for pardon for his sins. 6 If the great Lord wills, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding. He will pour out the words of his wisdom and in prayer give thanks to the Lord.⁠c 7 He will direct his advice and knowledge, and he will meditate in his secrets. 8 He will show the instruction which he has been taught and will take pride in the law of the covenant of the Lord. 9 Many will praise his understanding. As long as the world endures, it won’t be blotted out. His memory won’t depart. His name will live from generation to generation. 10 Nations will declare his wisdom. The congregation will proclaim his praise. 11 If he continues, he will leave a greater name than a thousand. If he finally rests, it is enough for him.

Praise for the Works of Creation

12 I will also speak of more things that I have thought about. I am filled like the full moon. 13 Listen to me, you holy children, and bud like a rose growing by a brook of water.⁠d 14 Give a sweet fragrance like frankincense. Put out flowers like a lily. Scatter a sweet smell and sing a song of praise. Bless the Lord for all his works! 15 Make his name great and speak his praise with the songs on your lips and with harps! Say this when you speak his praise:

16 All the works of the Lord are extremely good, and every command will be done in its time. 17 No one can say, “What is this?” “Why is that?” for at the proper time they will all be sought out. At his word, the waters stood like a heap, as did the reservoirs of water at the word of his mouth. 18 At his command all his good pleasure is fulfilled. There is no one who can hinder his salvation. 19 The works of all flesh are before him. It’s impossible to be hidden from his eyes. 20 He sees from everlasting to everlasting. There is nothing too wonderful for him. 21 No one can say, “What is this?” “Why is that?” for all things are created for their own uses.

22 His blessing covered the dry land like a river and saturated it like a flood. 23 As he has made the waters salty, so the nations will inherit his anger. 24 His ways are plain to the holy. They are stumbling blocks to the wicked. 25 Good things are created from the beginning for the good. Evil things are also created for sinners.

26 The main things necessary for the life of man are water, fire, iron, salt, wheat flour, and honey, milk, the blood of the grape, oil, and clothing.⁠e 27 All these things are for good to the godly, but for sinners, they will be turned into evils. 28 There are winds that are created for vengeance, and in their fury they strike heavy blows with their whips. In the time of reckoning, they pour out their strength, and will appease the anger of him who made them.⁠f 29 Fire, hail, famine, and death are all created for vengeance,⁠g 30 as are wild beasts’ teeth, scorpions,⁠h adders, and a sword punishing the ungodly to destruction. 31 They will be glad at his commandment, and will be made ready on earth when needed. In their seasons, they won’t disobey his command.

32 Therefore from the beginning I was convinced, and I thought it through and left it in writing: 33 All the works of the Lord are good. He will supply every need in its time. 34 No one can say, “This is worse than that,” for they will all be recognized as good in their time. 35 Now with all your hearts and voices, sing praises and bless the Lord’s name!

The Burdens of Human Life

1 Great toil is created for every man. A heavy yoke is on the sons of Adam, from the day of their coming out of their mother’s womb, until the day for their burial in the mother of all things.⁠a 2 The expectation of things to come, and the day of death, trouble their thoughts, and cause fear in their hearts. 3 From him who sits on a throne of glory, to him who is humbled in earth and ashes, 4 from him who wears purple and a crown, to him who is clothed in burlap, 5 there is fury, jealousy, trouble, unrest, fear of death, anger, and quarrels. When he rests on his bed, his night’s sleep changes his knowledge. 6 He gets little or no rest, and afterward in his sleep, as though spending a day keeping watch, he is troubled in the vision of his heart, like someone who has escaped from the front of battle. 7 In the very time of his rescue, he awakens, and marvels that the fear is nothing.

8 To all creatures, human and animal, and on sinners seven times more, 9 come death, bloodshed, quarrels, sword, disasters, famine, suffering, and plague. 10 All these things were created for the wicked, and because of them the flood came. 11 All things that are of the earth turn to the earth again. All things that are of the waters return to the sea.⁠b

The Endurance of Goodness

12 All bribery and injustice will be blotted out. Good faith will stand forever. 13 The goods of the unjust will be dried up like a river, and will vanish noisily like loud thunder in rain. 14 A man will be made glad when he opens his hands, and so lawbreakers will utterly fail. 15 The children of the ungodly won’t grow many branches, and are like unhealthy roots on a sheer rock.⁠c 16 The reeds by every water or river bank will be pulled up before all grass. 17 Kindness is like a garden of blessings. Giving to the poor endures forever.

The Best Gifts in Life

18 The life of one who labors and is content will be made sweet. He who finds a treasure is better than both. 19 Children and the building of a city establish a name. A blameless wife is better than both. 20 Wine and music make the heart glad. The love of wisdom is better than both. 21 The pipe and the lute make pleasant melody. A pleasant tongue is better than both. 22 Your eye desires grace and beauty, but the green shoots of grain more than both. 23 A friend and a companion are always welcome, and a wife with her husband is better than both. 24 Relatives and helpers are for a time of distress, but giving to the poor rescues better than both. 25 Gold and silver will make the foot stand firm, and advice is valued better than both. 26 Riches and strength will lift up the heart. The fear of the Lord is better than both. There is nothing lacking in the fear of the Lord. In it, there is no need to seek help. 27 The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing and covers a man more than any glory.

The Burden of Begging

28 My son, don’t lead a beggar’s life. It is better to die than to beg. 29 If a man looks to another’s table, his life cannot be called a life. He will pollute his soul with another person’s food, but a wise and well-instructed person will beware of that. 30 Begging will be sweet in the mouth of the shameless, but it ignites a fire in his belly.

Death and Its Remembrance

1 Death, how bitter is the memory of you to a man who is at peace in his possessions, to the man who has nothing to distract him and has prosperity in all things, and who still has strength to enjoy food! 2 Death, your sentence is acceptable to a man who is needy and who fails in strength, who is in extreme old age, is distracted about all things,⁠a is ill-tempered, and has lost patience! 3 Don’t be afraid of the sentence of death. Remember those who lived before you and who come after. This is the sentence from the Lord over all flesh. 4 And why do you refuse when it is the good pleasure of the Most High? Whether life lasts ten, or a hundred, or a thousand years, there is no inquiry about life in Hades.

A Name That Endures

5 The children of sinners are detestable children and they frequent the dwellings of the ungodly.⁠b 6 The inheritance of sinners’ children will disappear and with their descendants will be a perpetual disgrace. 7 Children will complain of an ungodly father, because they suffer disgrace because of him. 8 How terrible for you, ungodly men, who have abandoned the law of the Most High God!⁠c 9 If you are born, you will be born to a curse. If you die, a curse will be your portion. 10 All things that are of the earth will go back to the earth, so the ungodly will go from a curse to destruction. 11 The mourning of men is about their bodies, but the evil name of sinners will be blotted out. 12 Take care of your name, for it continues with you longer than a thousand great treasures of gold.⁠d 13 A good life has its number of days, but a good name continues forever.

The Right Grounds for Shame

14 My children, follow instruction in peace. But what use are hidden wisdom and a treasure that cannot be seen? 15 A man who hides his foolishness is better than a man who hides his wisdom. 16 Therefore show respect for my words, for it is not good to retain every kind of shame. Not everything is approved by all in good faith. 17 Be ashamed of sexual immorality before father and mother, of a lie before a prince and a powerful man, 18 of an offense before a judge and ruler, of wrongdoing before the congregation and the people, of unjust dealing before a partner and friend, 19 and of theft in the place where you stay. Be ashamed of breaking God’s truth and his covenant, of leaning on your elbow at dinner, of contemptuous behavior in the matter of giving and taking, 20 of silence before those who greet you, of looking at a woman who is a prostitute, 21 of turning away your face from a relative, of taking away a portion or a gift, of gazing at a woman who has a husband, 22 of meddling with his female servant, and don’t come near her bed, of abusive speech to friends, and after you have given, don’t insult,

1 of repeating and speaking what you have heard, and of revealing secrets. So you will be ashamed of the right things and find favor in the sight of every man. Don’t be ashamed of these things, and don’t sin to save face:

Things That Should Not Cause Shame

2 of the law of the Most High and his covenant, of judgment to do justice to the ungodly, 3 of settling accounts with a partner and with travelers, of a gift from the inheritance of friends, 4 of accurate scales and weights, of getting much or little, 5 of bargaining and dealing with merchants, of frequent correction of children, and of making the back of an evil slave bleed. 6 A seal is good where an evil wife is. Where there are many hands, lock things up. 7 Whatever you hand over, let it be by number and weight. In giving and receiving, let all be in writing. 8 Don’t be ashamed to instruct the unwise and foolish, and one of extreme old age who argues with those who are young. So you will be well instructed indeed and approved in the sight of every living man.

Anxiety about Daughters

9 A daughter is a secret cause of wakefulness to a father. Care for her takes away sleep: in her youth, for fear that she will move past the bloom of her youth, when she is married, for fear that she will be hated,⁠a 10 in her virginity, for fear that she will be defiled and become pregnant in her father’s house, when she has a husband, for fear that she will do wrong, and when she is married, for fear that she will be unable to have children. 11 Keep a strict watch over a headstrong daughter, so that she does not make you a laughingstock to your enemies, a byword in the city and notorious among the people, and shame you in public. 12 Don’t gaze at every beautiful body. Don’t sit among women. 13 For a moth comes from garments, and a woman’s wickedness comes from a woman. 14 A man’s wickedness is better than a pleasant woman, a woman who puts you to shame and disgrace.

God’s Wisdom in Creation

15 I will now mention the works of the Lord, and will declare the things that I have seen. The Lord’s works are in his words.⁠b 16 The sun that gives light looks at all things. The Lord’s work is full of his glory. 17 The Lord has not given power to the holy ones to declare all his marvelous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, so that the universe might be established in his glory. 18 He searches out the deep and the heart. He has understanding of their secrets. For the Most High knows all knowledge. He sees the signs of the world. 19 He declares the things that are past and the things that will be, and reveals the traces of hidden things. 20 No thought escapes him. There is not a word hidden from him. 21 He has ordered the mighty works of his wisdom. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Nothing has been added to them, or taken away from them. He had no need of any counselor. 22 How desirable are all his works! One may see this even in a spark. 23 All these things live and remain forever in every kind of uses. They are all obedient. 24 All things are in pairs, one opposite the other. He has made nothing imperfect. 25 One thing establishes the good things of another. Who could ever see enough of his glory?

The Splendor of the Heavens

1 The pride of the heavenly heights is the clear sky, the appearance of heaven, in the spectacle of its glory. 2 The sun, when it appears, bringing news as it rises, is a marvelous instrument, the work of the Most High.⁠a 3 At noon, it dries up the land. Who can stand against its burning heat? 4 A man tending a furnace is in burning heat, but the sun burns three times more. Burning up the mountains, breathing out fiery vapors, and sending out bright beams, it blinds the eyes. 5 The Lord who made it is great. At his word, he speeds it along its course.

6 The moon marks the changing seasons, declares times, and is a sign for the world. 7 The sign of feast days comes from the moon, a light that wanes when it completes its course. 8 The month is called after its name, growing wonderfully as it changes, an instrument of the army on high, shining in the structure of heaven, 9 the beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord. 10 At the word of the Holy One, they will stand in proper order. They won’t grow weak on their watches.

The Rainbow and the Weather

11 Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it. It is extremely beautiful in its brightness. 12 It encircles the sky with its glorious circle. The hands of the Most High have stretched it out. 13 By his commandment, he makes the snow fall and swiftly sends the lightning flashes of his judgment.⁠b 14 Therefore the storehouses are opened, and clouds fly out like birds. 15 By his mighty power, he makes the clouds strong and the hailstones are broken in pieces.

17 The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth. When he appears, the mountains will be shaken.⁠c At his will, the south wind will blow. So do the northern storm and the whirlwind. Like birds flying down, he sprinkles the snow. It falls down like locusts landing. 18 The eye is dazzled at the beauty of its whiteness. The heart is amazed as it falls. 19 He also pours out frost on the earth like salt.⁠d When it freezes, it has points like thorns. 20 The cold north wind blows and ice freezes on the water. It settles on every pool of water. The water puts it on like it was a breastplate. 21 It will devour the mountains, burn up the wilderness, and consume the green grass like fire. 22 A mist coming quickly heals all things. A dew coming after heat brings cheerfulness.

The Wonders of the Sea

23 By his plan, he has calmed the deep and planted islands in it. 24 Those who sail on the sea tell of its dangers. We marvel when we hear it with our ears. 25 There are also those strange and wonderful works in it, every kind of living thing and the huge creatures of the sea. 26 Because of him, his messengers succeed. By his word, all things hold together.⁠e

Praise beyond Human Words

27 We may say many things, but cannot say enough. The summary of our words is, “He is everything!”⁠f 28 How could we have strength to glorify him? For he himself is greater than all his works. 29 The Lord is awesome and extremely great! His power is marvelous! 30 Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can! For even then, he will surpass that. When you exalt him, summon your full strength. Don’t grow tired, because you can’t praise him enough. 31 Who has seen him, so that he may describe him? Who can proclaim his greatness as it really is? 32 Many things greater than these are hidden, for we have seen just a few of his works. 33 For the Lord made all things. He gave wisdom to the godly.

Praise of Israel’s Ancestors

1 Let us now praise famous men, our ancestors in their generations.⁠a 2 The Lord created great glory in them, his mighty power from the beginning. 3 Some ruled in their kingdoms and were men renowned for their power, giving advice by their understanding. Some have spoken in prophecies, 4 leaders of the people by their advice, and by their understanding, giving instruction for the people. Their words in their instruction were wise. 5 Some composed musical tunes, and put verses in writing, 6 rich men endowed with ability, living peacefully in their homes. 7 All these were honored in their generations, and were outstanding in their days.

8 Some of them have left a name behind them, so that others declare their praises. 9 But of others, there is no memory. They died as though they had never existed. They become as though they had not been born, they and their children after them. 10 But these were merciful men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten. 11 A good inheritance remains with their offspring. Their children are within the covenant. 12 Their offspring stand firm, with their children, for their sakes. 13 Their offspring will remain forever. Their glory won’t be blotted out. 14 Their bodies were buried in peace. Their name lives for all generations. 15 People will declare their wisdom. The congregation proclaims their praise.

Enoch and Noah

16 Enoch pleased the Lord, and was taken up, an example of repentance to all generations.⁠b 17 Noah was found perfect and righteous. In the time of anger, he kept the race alive. Therefore a remnant was left on the earth when the flood came. 18 Everlasting covenants were made with him, so that all flesh would never again be blotted out by a flood.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

19 Abraham was a great father of a multitude of nations. No one was found like him in glory.⁠c 20 He kept the law of the Most High,⁠d and was taken into covenant with him. In his flesh he established the covenant. When he was tested, he was found faithful. 21 Therefore he assured him by an oath that the nations would be blessed through his offspring, that he would multiply him like the dust of the earth, exalt his offspring like the stars, and cause them to inherit from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the farthest parts of the earth. 22 He also established the same assurance in Isaac for the sake of his father Abraham, the blessing of all men, and the covenant. 23 He made it rest on the head of Jacob. He acknowledged him in his blessings, gave him an inheritance, and divided his portions. He distributed them among twelve tribes. He brought from him a merciful man, who found favor in the sight of all people,

Moses

1 a man loved by God and men, Moses, whose memory is blessed. 2 He made him equal to the glory of the holy ones, and made him great through his enemies’ fears. 3 By his words he made the wonders stop. God glorified him in the sight of kings. He gave him commandments for his people and showed him part of his glory. 4 He made holy him in his faithfulness and gentleness. He chose him out of all people. 5 He made him hear his voice, led him into the thick darkness, and gave him commandments face to face, even the law of life and knowledge, so that he might teach Jacob the covenant, and Israel his judgments.

Aaron and the Priesthood

6 He exalted Aaron, a holy man like his brother Moses, from the tribe of Levi. 7 He established an everlasting covenant with him, and gave him the priesthood of the people. He blessed him with dignity, and dressed him in a glorious robe. 8 He clothed him in perfect splendor, and strengthened him with symbols of authority: the linen trousers, the long robe, and the ephod. 9 He encircled him with pomegranates, with many golden bells around him, to make a sound as he walked, to make a sound that might be heard in the temple, as a reminder for the children of his people,⁠a 10 with a holy garment, with gold, blue, and purple, the work of the embroiderer, with an oracle of judgment, Urim and Thummim, 11 with twisted scarlet, the work of the craftsman, with precious stones engraved like a signet, in a setting of gold, the work of the jeweler, for a reminder engraved in writing, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, 12 with a crown of gold on the turban, having engraved on it, as on a signet, “Holiness,” an ornament of honor, the work of an expert, the desires of the eyes, fine and beautiful.

13 Before him there had never been anything like it. No outsider put them on, but only his sons and his offspring forever. 14 His sacrifices will be completely burned, twice every day continually. 15 Moses consecrated him, and anointed him with holy oil. It was an everlasting covenant with him and to his offspring, all the days of heaven, to serve the Lord, to serve as a priest, and to bless his people in his name. 16 He chose him out of all living to offer sacrifice to the Lord, incense, and a sweet fragrance, for a memorial, to make atonement for your people. 17 In his commandments, he gave him authority in the covenants of judgments, to teach Jacob the testimonies, and to enlighten Israel in his law.

18 Strangers conspired against him and envied him in the wilderness: Dathan and Abiram with their company, and the congregation of Korah, with fury and anger. 19 The Lord saw it, and it displeased him. In his furious anger, they were destroyed. He did wonders on them, to consume them with flaming fire. 20 He added glory to Aaron, and gave him an inheritance. He allotted him the first fruits of the harvest, and prepared bread of first fruits in abundance. 21 For they eat the sacrifices of the Lord, which he gave to him and to his offspring. 22 However, in the land of the people, he has no inheritance, and he has no portion among the people, for the Lord himself is your portion and inheritance.

Phinehas and the Covenant of Peace

23 Phinehas the son of Eleazar is the third in glory, because he was zealous in the fear of the Lord,⁠b and stood firm when the people turned away, and he made atonement for Israel. 24 Therefore, a covenant of peace was established for him, so that he would be leader of the sanctuary and of his people, so that he and his offspring would have the dignity of the priesthood forever. 25 Also he made a covenant with David the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah. The inheritance of the king is his alone from son to son. So the inheritance of Aaron is also to his offspring. 26 May God give you wisdom in your heart to judge his people in righteousness, so that their good things may not be abolished, and that their glory may last for all their generations.

Joshua and Caleb

1 Joshua the son of Nun was brave in war, and was the successor of Moses in prophecies. He was made great according to his name for the saving of God’s chosen ones, to take vengeance on the enemies that rose up against them, so that he might give Israel their inheritance. 2 How he was glorified as he lifted his hands and stretched out his sword against the cities! 3 Who before him stood so firm? For the Lord himself brought his enemies to him. 4 Didn’t the sun go back by his hand?⁠a Didn’t one day become as two? 5 He called on the Most High, the Mighty One, when his enemies pressed in all around him, and the great Lord heard him.⁠b 6 With hailstones of mighty power, he caused war to break violently on the nation, and on the slope he destroyed those who resisted, so that the nations might know his armor, how he fought in the sight of the Lord, for he followed the Mighty One. 7 Also in the time of Moses, he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, because they withstood the adversary, kept the people from sinning, and quieted their wicked complaining. 8 And out of six hundred thousand people on foot, only the two of them were preserved to bring them into their inheritance, into a land flowing with milk and honey. 9 The Lord gave strength to Caleb, and it remained with him to his old age, so that he entered the hill country, and his offspring obtained it for an inheritance, 10 so that all the children of Israel might see that it is good to follow the Lord.

The Judges

11 Also the judges, each by his name, all whose hearts didn’t engage in immorality, and who didn’t turn away from the Lord, may their memory be blessed! 12 May their bones flourish again from their place. May the name of those who have been honored be renewed in their children.

Samuel

13 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, loved by his Lord, established a kingdom and anointed princes over his people. 14 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the Lord watched over Jacob. 15 By his faithfulness he was shown to be a prophet. By his words he was known to be faithful in vision. 16 When his enemies pressed on him on every side, he called on the Lord, the Mighty One, with the offering of the nursing lamb. 17 Then the Lord thundered from heaven. He made his voice heard with a mighty sound. 18 He utterly destroyed the rulers of the Tyrians and all the princes of the Philistines. 19 Before his sleep through the ages, he testified in the sight of the Lord and his anointed, “I have not taken any man’s goods, not even a sandal,” and no one accused him. 20 Even after he fell asleep, he prophesied, and showed the king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to erase the wickedness of the people.

Nathan and David

1 After him, Nathan rose to prophesy in the days of David. 2 Just as fat is separated from the peace offering, David was separated from the children of Israel.⁠a 3 He played with lions as with young goats, and with bears as with lambs of the flock. 4 In his youth didn’t he kill a giant, and take away disgrace from the people when he lifted up his hand with a sling stone, and beat down the boasting Goliath? 5 For he called on the Most High Lord, and he gave him strength in his right hand to kill a powerful warrior, to exalt the horn of his people. 6 So they glorified him for his tens of thousands, and praised him for the blessings of the Lord, because a glorious diadem was given to him. 7 For he destroyed the enemies on every side, and defeated the Philistines his adversaries. He broke their horn in pieces to this day.

8 In everything he did he gave thanks to the Holy One Most High with words of glory. He sang praise with his whole heart, and loved him who made him. 9 He set singers before the altar, to make sweet melody by their music. 10 He gave beauty to the feasts, and set the seasons in full order while they praised his holy name, and the sanctuary resounded from early morning. 11 The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his horn forever. He gave him a covenant of kings, and a glorious throne in Israel.

Solomon’s Wisdom and Failure

12 After him a wise son rose, who because of him lived in security. 13 Solomon reigned in days of peace. God gave him rest all around, so that he might set up a house for his name, and prepare a sanctuary forever. 14 How wise you were made in your youth, and filled like a river with understanding! 15 Your influence covered the earth, and you filled it with parables and riddles. 16 Your name reached to the distant islands, and you were loved for your peace. 17 For your songs, proverbs, parables, and interpretations, the countries were amazed at you.

18 By the name of the Lord God, who is called the God of Israel, you gathered gold like tin, and multiplied silver like lead. 19 You bowed your body to women, and your body was brought under control. 20 You blemished your honor, and defiled your offspring, to bring anger on your children. I was distressed for your foolishness, 21 because the sovereignty was divided, and a disobedient kingdom ruled out of Ephraim. 22 But the Lord will never abandon his mercy. He won’t destroy any of his works, nor erase the descendants of his chosen ones. He won’t take away the offspring of him who loved him. He gave a remnant to Jacob, and to David a root from his own family.⁠b

Rehoboam and Jeroboam

23 So Solomon rested with his fathers. Of his offspring, he left behind him Rehoboam, the foolishness of the people, and one who lacked understanding, who made the people revolt by his advice. Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, and gave Ephraim a path of sin.⁠c 24 Their sins were multiplied greatly, until they were removed from their land. 25 For they sought out every kind of wickedness, until vengeance came on them.

Elijah

1 Then Elijah arose, the prophet like fire. His word burned like a torch. 2 He brought a famine on them, and by his zeal made them few in number. 3 By the word of the Lord he closed the heavens. He brought down fire three times. 4 How you were glorified, Elijah, in your wonderful deeds!⁠a Whose glory is like yours? 5 You raised a dead man from death, from Hades, by the word of the Most High. 6 You brought down kings to destruction, and honorable men from their sickbeds. 7 You heard rebuke in Sinai, and judgments of vengeance in Horeb. 8 You anointed kings for retribution, and prophets to succeed you. 9 You were taken up in a storm of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses. 10 You were recorded for rebukes in their seasons, to calm anger, before it broke out into fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son,⁠b and to restore the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been made beautiful with love, for we too will surely live.

Elisha and Israel’s Failure to Repent

12 Elijah was wrapped in a whirlwind. Elisha was filled with his spirit. In his days he was not moved by the fear of any ruler, and no one brought him under control. 13 Nothing was too hard for him. When he was buried, his body prophesied. 14 He did wonders in his life, and his works were also marvelous in death. 15 Despite all this the people didn’t repent. They didn’t turn from their sins, until they were carried away as captured property from their land, and were scattered through all the earth. The people were left very few in number, but with a ruler from the house of David. 16 Some of them did what was right, but some multiplied sins.

Hezekiah and Isaiah

17 Hezekiah fortified his city, and brought water into its middle. He tunneled through rock with iron, and built cisterns for water. 18 In his days Sennacherib invaded, and sent Rabshakeh, and departed. He lifted up his hand against Zion, and boasted great things in his arrogance. 19 Then their hearts and their hands were shaken, and they were in pain, like women in labor. 20 But they called on the Lord who is merciful, spreading out their hands to him. The Holy One quickly heard them out of Heaven, and delivered them by the hand of Isaiah. 21 He struck the camp of the Assyrians, and his angel utterly destroyed them. 22 For Hezekiah did what pleased the Lord, and was strong in the ways of his ancestor David, which Isaiah the prophet commanded, who was great and faithful in his vision.⁠c 23 In his days the sun went backward. He prolonged the life of the king. 24 He saw by an excellent spirit what would happen in the future, and he comforted those who mourned in Zion.⁠d 25 He showed the things that would happen through the end of time, and the hidden things before they happened.

Josiah and Judah’s Kings

1 The memory of Josiah is like the blend of incense prepared by the work of the perfumer. It will be sweet like honey in every mouth, and like music at a banquet of wine. 2 He did what was right in reforming the people, and took away the detestable acts of wrongdoing. 3 He set his heart right toward the Lord. In lawless days, he made godliness prevail. 4 Except David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, all were wicked, because they abandoned the law of the Most High. The kings of Judah came to an end. 5 They gave their power to others, and their glory to a foreign nation. 6 They set the chosen city of the sanctuary on fire and made her streets desolate, as Jeremiah had written.

Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Prophets

7 For they mistreated him, yet he was made holy in the womb to be a prophet, to uproot, to bring suffering, to destroy and likewise to build and to plant. 8 Ezekiel saw the vision of glory, which God showed him on the chariot of the cherubim.⁠a 9 For truly he remembered the enemies in a rainstorm, and remembered to do good to those who directed their ways rightly. 10 Also of the twelve prophets, may their bones flourish again from their place.⁠b He comforted the people of Jacob, and delivered them by confident hope.

The Leaders of the Restoration

11 How can we proclaim Zerubbabel’s greatness? He was like a signet ring on the right hand.⁠c 12 So was Joshua the son of Jehozadak, who in their days built the house, and exalted a people holy to the Lord, prepared for everlasting glory. 13 Nehemiah’s memory is also great. He raised up for us fallen walls, set up the gates and bars, and rebuilt our houses.⁠d

The Earliest Ancestors

14 No man was created on the earth like Enoch, for he was taken up from the earth. 15 Nor was there a man born like Joseph, a leader of his relatives, a supporter of the people. Even his bones were cared for.⁠e 16 Shem and Seth were honored among men, but Adam was above every living thing in creation.

Simon the High Priest

1 It was Simon, the son of Onias, the high priest, who in his life repaired the house, and in his days strengthened the temple. 2 The foundation was built by him to the height of the double walls, the lofty retaining walls of the temple enclosure. 3 In his days, a water cistern was dug, the bronze vessel like the sea in circumference. 4 He planned to save his people from ruin, and fortified the city against siege. 5 How glorious he was when the people gathered around him as he came out of the house of the veil! 6 He was like the morning star among clouds, like the full moon, 7 like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High, like the rainbow shining in clouds of glory, 8 like roses in the days of first fruits, like lilies by a water spring, like the shoot of the frankincense tree in summertime, 9 like fire and incense in the censer, like a vessel of beaten gold decorated with all kinds of precious stones, 10 like an olive tree loaded with fruit, and like a cypress growing high among the clouds.

The Temple Service

11 When he put on his glorious robe, and clothed himself in perfect splendor,⁠a ascending to the holy altar, he made the court of the sanctuary glorious. 12 When he received the portions out of the priests’ hands, as he stood by the hearth of the altar, with his relatives like a garland around him, he was like a young cedar in Lebanon surrounded by the trunks of palm trees. 13 All the sons of Aaron in their glory held the Lord’s offering in their hands before all the congregation of Israel. 14 Finishing the service at the altars, so that he might arrange the offering of the Most High, the Almighty, 15 he stretched out his hand to the cup of the drink offering, and poured out the cup of the grape. He poured it out at the foot of the altar, a sweet-smelling fragrance to the Most High, the King of all. 16 Then the sons of Aaron shouted. They sounded the trumpets of hammered metal. They made a great fanfare to be heard, for a reminder before the Most High. 17 Then all the people together hurried, and fell down to the ground on their faces to worship their Lord, the Almighty, God Most High. 18 The singers also praised him with their voices. There was a sweet melody in the whole house. 19 And the people begged the Lord Most High, in prayer before him who is merciful, until the worship of the Lord was finished, and so they accomplished his service. 20 Then he went down, and lifted up his hands over the whole congregation of the children of Israel, to give blessing to the Lord with his lips, and to take pride in his name.⁠b 21 He bowed down in worship the second time, to declare the blessing from the Most High.

A Blessing for the People

22 Now bless the God of all, who everywhere does great things, who exalts our days from the womb, and deals with us according to his mercy. 23 May he grant us joy of heart, and may there be peace in our days in Israel for the days of eternity, 24 to entrust us with his mercy, and let him rescue us in his time!

The Author’s Closing Words

25 My soul is troubled by two nations, and the third is no nation: 26 those who sit on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the foolish people who live in Shechem. 27 I have written in this book instruction in understanding and knowledge. I am Jesus, the son of Sirach Eleazar, of Jerusalem,⁠c who poured wisdom out of his heart. 28 Blessed is he who puts these things into practice. He who stores them in his heart will become wise.⁠d 29 For if he does them, he will be strong in all things, for the light of the Lord is his guide.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, King, and will praise you, God my Savior. I give thanks to your name, 2 for you have been my protector and helper, and rescued my body from destruction, and out of the snare of a slanderous tongue, from lips that fabricate lies. You were my helper before those who stood by, 3 and rescued me, according to the abundance of your mercy and of your name, from grinding teeth ready to devour, out of the hand of those seeking my life, out of the many distresses I endured, 4 from the choking of a fire on every side, and out of the middle of fire that I hadn’t lit, 5 out of the depth of the belly of Hades, from an unclean tongue, and from lying words, 6 the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king. My soul came near to death. My life was near to Hades. 7 They surrounded me on every side. There was no one to help me. I was looking for human help, and there was none.

8 Then I remembered your mercy, Lord, and your work that has continued from eternity, how you rescue those who wait for you, and save them out of the hand of their enemies. 9 I lifted up my prayer from the earth, and prayed for rescue from death. 10 I called on the Lord, the Father of my Lord, asking him not to abandon me in the days of distress, in the time when there was no help against the proud. 11 I will praise your name continually. I will sing praise with thanksgiving. My prayer was heard. 12 You saved me from destruction and rescued me from the evil time. Therefore I will give thanks and praise to you, and bless the name of the Lord.

The Search for Wisdom

13 When I was still young, before I went abroad, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.⁠a 14 Before the temple I asked for her. I will seek her out even to the end. 15 From the first flower to the ripening grape my heart delighted in her. My foot walked in uprightness. From my youth I followed her steps. 16 I turned my ear a little, and received her, and found for myself much instruction. 17 I benefited in her. I will give glory to him who gives me wisdom. 18 For I determined to put her into practice. I was passionate about what is good. I will never be put to shame. 19 My soul has wrestled with her. I was meticulous in my conduct. I spread out my hands to the sky above, and lamented my ignorance of her. 20 I directed my soul to her. In purity I found her. I gained a heart joined with her from the beginning. Therefore I won’t be abandoned. 21 My belly was also troubled as I sought her. Therefore I have gained a good possession. 22 The Lord gave me a tongue for my reward. I will praise him with it.

An Invitation to Learn

23 Come close to me, all you who are uneducated, and live in the house of instruction.⁠b 24 Why then do you all lack these things, and why are your souls so thirsty? 25 I opened my mouth and spoke, “Get her for yourselves without money.” 26 Put your neck under the yoke,⁠c and let your soul receive instruction. She is near enough to be found.⁠d 27 See with your eyes how I worked just a little and found for myself much rest. 28 Get instruction with a large amount of silver, and gain much gold by her. 29 May your soul be glad in his mercy, and may none of you be put to shame in praising him. 30 Do your work before the time comes, and in his time he will give you your reward.