Sirach 3-21

Common English Bible

¹² My child, help your father in his old age,
    and don’t give him grief during his life.
¹³ And if his understanding fails,
    be tolerant,
    and don’t shame him,
    because you have all your faculties.
¹⁴ Taking care of one’s father
won’t be forgotten.
    It will be credited to you
    against your sins.
¹⁵ When you are in trouble,
this will be recalled about you;
    like frost warmed by sunshine,
    so your sins will melt away.
¹⁶ Those who abandon their fathers
are like blasphemers,
    and those who anger their mothers
    have been cursed by the Lord.

³⁰ Water will put out a blazing fire,
    and giving to those in need
    will make up for sins.
³¹ Those who repay favors
consider the future,
    and at the moment when they fall,
    they will find support.

4 Don’t deprive a poor person’s life,
    and don’t avoid looking
    the needy in the eyes.
² Don’t grieve a hungry person,
    and don’t make a person
    in dire straits angry.
³ Don’t trouble an angry person,
    and don’t put off giving to the needy.
⁴ Don’t keep rejecting the plea
of someone in distress,
    and don’t turn your face
    away from the poor.
⁵ Don’t turn your
eyes away from someone begging,
    and don’t give anyone an opportunity
    to curse you.
⁶ If some curse you
in their bitter circumstances,
    the one who made them
    will hear their prayer.

⁷ Behave yourself pleasantly in the assembly,
    and bow your head
    to an influential person.
⁸ Listen to the poor,
    and reply with peaceful
    and gentle speech.
⁹ Set the wronged free
from the hand of the wrongdoer,
    and don’t be timid
    when you give judgment.
¹⁰ Be like a parent to orphans,
    and take care of their mothers
    as you would your own wife or husband.
    Do this, and you will be like a child
    of the Most High,
    and God will love you
    more than your own mother does.

²⁹ Don’t be bold to speak,
    but sluggish and slack
    when it comes to action.
³⁰ Don’t be like a lion in your house,
    putting on airs
    among your household slaves.
³¹ Don’t stretch your hand out
to receive and withdraw it
when it is time to pay back.

⁹ Don’t be blown about by every wind,
    and don’t take every shortcut.
        This is how the devious^[h] sinner acts.
¹⁰ Be firmly grounded
in your understanding,
    and let your speech be consistent.
¹¹ Listen carefully,
    and utter a patient reply.
¹² If you have understanding,
answer your neighbor,
    but if you don’t,
    clap your hand over your mouth.
¹³ Speaking brings glory or dishonor.
    Indeed, the tongue
    can be a person’s downfall.
¹⁴ Don’t get a reputation
for being a slanderer,
        and don’t set traps for people
        with your speech,
    because shame comes to the thief,
        and terrible blame
        comes upon the deceitful.^[i]
15 Don’t be ignorant in matters
large or small.

6 Don’t become an enemy
instead of a friend.
    If you get a bad name, you will also inherit shame and reproach,
        as is the case with the
        deceitful^[j] sinner.

² Don’t be enamored
of your own intelligence
    lest your strength be taken captive
    like a bull.
³ You will devour your leaves,
destroy your fruit,
    and leave yourself like a withered tree.
⁴ If you have a bad soul, it will destroy you;
    it will make you a joke to your enemies.

²³ Listen, my child,
and welcome my opinion.
    Don’t reject my advice.
²⁴ Put your feet into her shackles
    and your neck into her collar.
²⁵ Bend your shoulder down and carry her,
    and don’t chafe at her bonds.
²⁶ Come to her with your whole being,
    and keep to her ways
    with all your strength.
²⁷ Track her down and seek her,
    and she will become known to you.
    When you get possession of her,
    don’t let her go.
²⁸ In the end, you will find rest in her,
    and she will turn to you
    and make you happy.
²⁹ Her shackles will be
a strong shelter for you,
    and her collar will be a glorious robe.
³⁰ She bears^[l]
a gold ornament,
    and her bonds
    will be like blue embroidery.^[m]
31 You will wear her like a glorious robe,
    and you will put her on
    like a crown of joy.
³² If you want, my child,
you will be instructed,
    and if you devote your whole being,
    you will be intelligent.
³³ If you love to listen, you will receive,
    and if you pay attention,
    you will be wise.
³⁴ Keep company with the elders,
    and stick closely to their wisdom.
³⁵ Desire to listen
to every godly conversation,
    and don’t let intelligent proverbs escape you.
³⁶ If you find individuals who are intelligent,
    get up before dawn to see those people,
    and let your foot
    wear out their doorsteps.
³⁷ Think about the Lord’s decrees,
    and meditate constantly
    on his commandments.
    He will make your heart steadfast,
    and will grant your desire for wisdom.

⁸ Don’t repeat a sin,
    for you won’t be innocent
    even of committing it the first time.
⁹ Don’t say,
“He will look at the heap of my gifts,
    and when I make an offering
    to the Most High, he will accept it.”
¹⁰ Don’t be timid in your prayer,
    and don’t neglect caring for those in need.
¹¹ Don’t mock a person
who is bitter in spirit;
    for there’s one who humbles
    and who exalts.
¹² Don’t cultivate a lie against your relative
    or do the same thing to a friend.
¹³ Don’t desire to tell a lie;
    continuing in a lie results in no good.
¹⁴ Don’t babble when the elders
are assembled,
    and don’t repeat yourself when praying.

¹⁵ Don’t hate hard work and farming,
    which were created by the Most High.
¹⁶ Don’t count yourself
among a group of sinners;
    remember that God’s anger won’t delay.
¹⁷ Humble your whole being
as much as possible,
    because fire and worms
    are the punishment of the ungodly.

²² Do you have cattle? Look after them.
    If they are useful to you, keep them.
²³ Do you have children? Instruct them.
    Train them to be obedient^[p]
    from their youth.
²⁴ Do you have daughters?
Be attentive to their chastity,^[q]
    and don’t be too cheerful with them.^[r]
25 Give a daughter in marriage,
and you will have completed a great deed,
    but present her
    to an understanding husband.
²⁶ Do you have a wife who is a soul mate?^[s]
    Don’t divorce her,
    and don’t trust yourself to a woman
    whom you hate.

²⁷ Honor your father with all your heart,
    and don’t forget
    your mother’s labor pains.
²⁸ Remember that you were born
because of your parents.
    How will you pay them back
    for what they have done for you?

²⁹ Revere the Lord with your whole being,
    and honor his priests.
³⁰ With all your might
love the one who made you,
    and don’t neglect his ministers.
³¹ Fear the Lord and honor the priest.
    Give the priest his portion,
    just as you were commanded:
        early produce, a sin offering,
        the gift of the shoulders,
        the dedicatory offering,
        and the early produce
        from the holy things.

³² Extend your hand to the poor
    so that your blessing may be complete.
³³ The kindness of a gift
stands before all who are alive;
    moreover, don’t withhold kindness
    from the dead.
³⁴ Walk beside those who weep,
    and mourn with those who mourn.
³⁵ Don’t hesitate to visit the sick,
    because you will be loved
    on account of these acts.
³⁶ In all of your words,^[t]
remember your end,
    and you will never sin.

⁴ Don’t make fun of the uneducated,
    or your ancestors might be insulted.
⁵ Don’t reproach someone
turning away from sin;
    remember that we are all
worthy of punishment.
⁶ Don’t dishonor people in their old age;
    some of us are growing old as well.
⁷ Don’t celebrate
because someone has died;
    remember that we all will pass away.
⁸ Don’t neglect the conversation
of the wise,
        but keep returning to their proverbs,
    because you will learn instruction
    from them,
        how to minister to dignitaries.
⁹ Don’t reject the words of the aged,
    because they also learned
    from their elders,
    and you will learn understanding
    from them
    and how to give an answer
    when it is necessary.

¹⁰ Don’t stoke up the coals of a sinner,
    and don’t let his fire set you ablaze.
¹¹ Don’t rise out of your seat
in the presence of insolent persons,
    because they might set a trap
    for what you say.
¹² Don’t lend to people
who are more powerful than you,
    but if you do lend,
    treat it as though it were lost.
¹³ Don’t guarantee a loan
beyond your ability,
    and if you do guarantee one,
    consider that you will need to pay.

¹⁴ Don’t go to court with a judge;
    people will judge him
    according to his prestige.
¹⁵ Don’t walk on the road
with reckless people,
        or you will bear
        the weight of your mistakes.
    They will walk wherever they want,
        and you will be destroyed
        because of their foolishness.
¹⁶ Don’t get in a fight
with hot-tempered people,
    and don’t travel through the desert
    with them,
        because spilling blood is nothing to them,
        and where there’s no one to help,
        they will strike you down.
¹⁷ Don’t consult with fools,
    because they can’t keep a secret.
¹⁸ Don’t do anything in front of strangers
that should be kept hidden,
    for you don’t know what they will reveal.
¹⁹ Don’t open your heart to just anyone,
    and don’t accept a favor from just anyone.^[u]

¹⁰ Don’t abandon old friends,
        because newer ones are not their equals.
    New friends are like new wine;
        when wine ages,
        you will drink it with good cheer.

¹¹ Don’t envy the good reputation
of sinners,
    since you don’t know
    how sudden their end will be.
¹² Don’t delight in the success
of the ungodly.
    Remember that they won’t
    be considered righteous,
        even in the grave.^[x]

¹³ Keep far away from people
who have the authority to kill,
    and you won’t be worried
    by the fear of death.
        If you do approach them,
        don’t make a mistake,
        or they might take away your life.
    Be aware that you are stepping
    among traps
    and that you are walking
    on the parapet of the city’s walls.
¹⁴ As much as you can,
investigate your neighbor
    and consult with wise people.
¹⁵ Converse with intelligent people,
    and talk constantly about the Law
    of the Most High.
¹⁶ Let righteous people
be your dinner companions,
    and let your pride
    be in the fear of the Lord.

10 Wise judges will instruct their people,
    and an intelligent person’s rule
    will be orderly.
² As the people’s judges are,
so will their officials be,
    and as the ruler of a city is,
    so also are all of its inhabitants.
³ An uneducated king will ruin his people,
    and a city is founded
    on the intelligence of its rulers.
⁴ Authority over the earth
belongs to the Lord,
    and he will identify the person
    who is right for the time.
⁵ A people’s success belongs to the Lord,
    and he will give glory
    to the legal expert.^[y]

²⁶ Don’t show off your wisdom
when you do your work,
    and don’t magnify yourself
    when you have difficulties.
²⁷ Those who work and have what they need
in abundance are better
    than those who walk around
    glorifying themselves but lack bread.
²⁸ My child, hold yourself in honor
with gentleness,
    and give yourself honor as you deserve it.
²⁹ Who will justify those
who sin against themselves?
    And who will honor those
    who bring dishonor to their own lives?
³⁰ Poor people will be honored
because of their knowledge,
    and rich people will be honored
    because of their wealth.
³¹ Whoever is honored in poverty,
how much more will he or she
be honored in wealth?
    And whoever is disreputable in wealth,
    how much more will he or she
    be disreputable in poverty?

11 The wisdom of humble people
raises up their heads,
    and it will seat them among officials.
² Don’t praise people
for their beautiful looks,
    and don’t despise people
    for their appearance.
³ The bee is small among flying creatures,
    but its produce is the origin
    of everything sweet.
⁴ Don’t take pride in the way you dress,
    and don’t promote yourself
    when you are being honored,^[ad]
        because the Lord’s works
        are wonderful,
        and his works are hidden
        from humans.
⁵ Many tyrants have sat on the ground,
    and one who was never expected
    to rule has worn a crown.
⁶ Many rulers have been
completely dishonored,
    and those once held in honor
    have been handed over to others.

¹⁰ My child, don’t be busy with many things;
        if you multiply pursuits,
        you won’t be held guiltless.
    If you pursue them,
    you won’t overtake them,
        and when you flee, you won’t escape.
¹¹ Some people work hard, struggle,
and hurry—
    and end up even more deeply in need.
¹² Others are sluggish and need support,
    lacking strength
and immersed in poverty.
The Lord has looked upon them
with kindness,
    and has restored them
from their low position.
¹³ He has raised up their heads,
    and many have been amazed at them.

¹⁴ Good things and bad, life and death,
    poverty and wealth come from the Lord.^[ae]
17 The Lord’s gift remains with the godly,
    and his favor will always bring success.
¹⁸ Some become rich from diligence
and greed,^[af]
    and this is part of their reward:
¹⁹     When they say, “I’ve found rest,
        and now I’ll eat of my good things,”
    they don’t know when the time
    will come
        when they will leave these things
        to others and die.

²⁰ Stand by your agreement,
devote attention to accomplishing it,
    and grow old in your work.
²¹ Don’t be amazed at the works of sinners,
    but trust in the Lord
    and continue your work,
        because it is easy in God’s sight
    to make the poor person
    quickly and suddenly rich.
²² The Lord’s blessing is part
of the godly person’s wages,
    and God’s good pleasure
    causes a person to flourish very quickly.
²³ Don’t say, “What do I need?
    What good things will be mine
    from now on?”
²⁴ Don’t say, “I have enough.
    What harm can come upon me
    from now on?”
²⁵ At a time of prosperity,
adversity is forgotten,
    and at a time of adversity,
    prosperity is not remembered.
²⁶ It is easy for the Lord to pay back people
    according to their ways
    in the hour of death.
²⁷ An hour of misery
makes one forget luxury;
    the end of a person’s life
    reveals his or her deeds.
²⁸ Don’t call anyone happy
before their death;
    people are known
    through their children.^[ag]

12 If you do good,
know for whom you do it,
    and there’ll be gratitude
    for your good deeds.
² Do good to the godly,
and you will find a reward,
    and if not from them,
    then from the Most High.
³ There is nothing good
for those who continue to do evil
    or for those who
    don’t freely offer charity.
⁴ Give to the pious, but don’t assist sinners.
⁵ Do good to the humble,
but don’t give to the ungodly.
    Hold back your bread,
    and don’t give it to them,
        since by it they might gain power
        over you.
    You will encounter twice as much evil
        for all the good things
        that you have done for them.
⁶ The Most High also hated sinners,
    and he will repay the ungodly
    with punishment.^[ai]
7 Give to good people,
and don’t assist sinners.
⁸ A friend is not avenged^[aj]
in prosperity,
    and an enemy is not hidden
    in adversity.
⁹ When people are prosperous,
their enemies are in pain,
    and when they meet with adversity,
    even friends will keep away.
¹⁰ Don’t ever trust your enemies;
    for just as copper corrodes,
    so their wickedness does as well.
¹¹ If they are humbled
and walk away stooped over,
    look after yourself,
    and keep up your guard against them.
        You will be to them
        as one who polishes a mirror,
        and you will know that it won’t be completely tarnished.
¹² Don’t put them next to you;
        they might overthrow you
        and take your place.
    Don’t sit them on your right side,
        since they might seek your seat.
    In the end you will understand my words,
    and you will be pierced by what I’ve said.

¹³ Who pities a snake charmer
who gets bitten?
    Or anyone who goes near wild beasts?
¹⁴ So it is with anyone
who goes near sinful people
    and becomes involved in their sins.
¹⁵ They will remain with you for a time,
    but if you waver, they won’t be loyal.
¹⁶ Enemies speak sweetly with their lips,
        but in their hearts,
        they plan to throw you into a ditch.
    Enemies cry tears with their eyes,
        but if they find an opportunity,
        they won’t be able to
        get enough blood.
¹⁷ If you meet up with trouble,
you will find them there ahead of you;
    and appearing to help,
they will trip you.
¹⁸ They will shake their heads
and clap their hands,
    and they will whisper many things
    and change their faces.

13 Whoever touches tar will get dirty,
    and those who associate with the arrogant will become like them.
² Don’t lift something
that’s too heavy for you,
    and don’t associate with people
    who are more powerful and rich
    than you are.
What does a clay pot have in common
with a metal cauldron?
    The one will knock against the other
and be shattered.
³ Rich people inflict injury,
but then act as if they’re the ones
who have been wronged;
    the poor suffer injury,
    but they’re the ones
    who must apologize.
⁴ If you are useful to the rich,
they will work with you,
    but if you are in need,
they will abandon you.
⁵ If you own anything,
they will live with you;
    they will exhaust what you have,
and they won’t suffer.
⁶ If they need you, they will deceive you
    and smile at you and give you hope;
    they will speak nicely to you and say,
    “What do you need?”
⁷ They will embarrass you
with their fine foods,
    until they have cleaned you out
    two or three times over.
    In the end they will mock you,
    and after these things,
    they will see you and abandon you
    and shake their heads at you.

⁸ Take care that you don’t go astray,
    and don’t be humiliated
    by your own foolishness.
⁹ When powerful people invite you,
show yourself reluctant,
    and they will invite you all the more.
¹⁰ Don’t be forward,
or you might be rejected;
    and don’t stand far off,
    or you might be forgotten.
¹¹ Don’t think that you can speak
with them as an equal,
    and don’t trust in their
lengthy conversations,
        because they will test you
        with a lot of talking;
        and when they are smiling, they are really examining you.
¹² Those who won’t guard your secrets
are cruel,
    and they won’t spare you
    from mistreatment
    and imprisonment.
¹³ Be on guard and pay attention,
    because you are tiptoeing
    around your own downfall.^[ak]

¹⁵ All living creatures love what is like them,
    and all people their neighbors.
¹⁶ All beings gather together
with their own kind,
    and people cling to those
    who are like them.
¹⁷ What does a wolf have in common
with a lamb?
    So sinners have nothing in common
    with the godly.
¹⁸ What peace is there
between a hyena and a dog?
    And what peace is there
    between the rich and the poor?
¹⁹ Wild asses in the desert are prey for lions;
    so the poor are feeding grounds
    for the rich.
²⁰ The arrogant detest humility;
    so the rich detest the poor.
²¹ When rich people stumble,
they are supported by friends.
    But when the humble fall,
    their own friends push them away.
²² When the rich slip,
their helpers are many;
    they speak things that shouldn’t be spoken, and people justify them.
    The humble slip,
    and people criticize them as well;
    they utter something sensible,
    and no one pays attention.
²³ The rich speak, and everyone is silent,
    and what they say is praised
    to the heavens.
    The poor speak, and they say,
    “Who is this?”
    And if the poor stumble,
    others push them down all the more.
²⁴ Wealth is good as long as it’s free of sin;
    the ungodly speak of poverty
    as an evil in and of itself.

14 Happy are those
who haven’t slipped in their speech
    and who haven’t been stabbed
    with pain for their sins.
² Happy are those
whose spirit hasn’t condemned them,
    and who haven’t given up their hope.

¹¹ My child, treat yourself well
according to what you have,
    and bring offerings to the Lord
    that are worthy.
¹² Remember that death won’t delay,
    and the decree of the grave^[al]
    hasn’t been shown to you.
¹³ Before you die, treat your friends well.
    According to your ability, reach out, and give to them.
¹⁴ Enjoy^[am] a good day,
    and don’t let your share
    of a good desire pass you by.
¹⁵ Won’t you end up leaving behind
to another what you have worked
so hard for?
    Won’t the things you have toiled for
    end up being divided by lot?
¹⁶ Give, take, and distract yourself,^[an]
    because you can’t search for luxury
    in the grave.^[ao]
17 All flesh grows old like a garment;
    the ancient decree is,
    “You will certainly die!”
¹⁸ Like a budding leaf on a leafy tree,
    it sheds some and it puts forth others;
    so is a generation of flesh and blood;
    one dies, and another is born.
¹⁹ All deeds decay and cease,
    and those who do them
    will pass away with them.

15 Whoever fears the Lord
will do these things,
    and whoever has a firm hold
    on the Law will possess Wisdom.
² She will come to meet them like a mother,
    and she will await them
    like a young bride.
³ She will feed them bread
of understanding,
    and will give them water of wisdom
    to drink.
⁴ They will be supported by her
and not be undermined;
    they will be intent upon her
    and will never be put to shame.
⁵ She will raise them above their neighbors,
    and allow them to speak
    in the midst of the assembly.
⁶ They will inherit gladness,
a crown of rejoicing,
    and an eternal name.
⁷ People who lack sense will never
receive her,
    and sinners will never see her.
⁸ She keeps far away from the arrogant,
    and liars will never remember her.
⁹ Praise isn’t proper in the mouth of sinners
    because it hasn’t been assigned
    by the Lord.
¹⁰ Praise must be spoken in wisdom,
    and the Lord will cause it to prosper.

16 Don’t wish for a multitude
of worthless children,
    and don’t be glad about sons and daughters if they are ungodly.
² If they have children,
don’t rejoice over them
    unless they respect the Lord.
³ Don’t be confident that they will live,
    and don’t rely on their great number.^[aq]
    One is better than a thousand,
    and it’s better to die childless
    than to have ungodly children.
⁴ A city will be populated
through one intelligent person,
    but a tribe of lawless people
    can transform it into a desert.

⁵ My eye has seen many such things,
    and my ear has heard more extraordinary matters than these.
⁶ A fire will be kindled
in an assembly of sinners,
    and wrath will flash forth
    in a disobedient nation.
⁷ The Lord didn’t seek reconciliation
with the ancient giants^[ar]
    who rebelled in their might.
⁸ He didn’t spare Lot’s neighbors,
    whom he detested
    because of their arrogance.
⁹ He showed no mercy on a nation
doomed to destruction,
    on people who were driven off
    because of their sins.^[as]
10 So also he showed no mercy
to the six hundred thousand
foot soldiers
    who gathered together
    in their stubbornness.^[at]

¹¹ Even if there was one
stiff-necked person,
    it would be amazing
    if that one would go unpunished,
    because mercy and wrath are with him,
    the Lord who reconciles
    and who pours out wrath.
¹² His scrutiny is as severe
as his mercy is abundant;
    he will judge people
    according to their deeds.
¹³ A sinner won’t escape with plunder,
    and the endurance of the godly
    will never fail.
¹⁴ He will make allowance
for every act of charity;
    everyone will receive their just reward.^[au]

¹⁷ Don’t say, “I’ll be hidden from the Lord,”
    and “Who from on high
    will call me to mind?
    Among a great many people,
    I’ll never be recognized;
    for what am I in such a vast creation?
¹⁸ Look at the heavens,
indeed the highest heavens;
    the abyss and the earth
    will tremble at the Lord’s visitation.^[av]
19 All at once the mountains
and the foundations of the earth
    will shake together, quaking,
    when he looks upon them.
²⁰ The mind cannot even think
about these things.
    Who can ponder his ways?
²¹ Most of his deeds are hidden
like a hurricane that no one can see.^[aw]
22 Who will announce just actions?
    Or who will endure,
    since God’s covenant is far off?”^[ax]
23 Those who lack sense think this way;
    a foolish and misguided person
    thinks foolish things.

²⁶ The Lord’s works in creation
existed from the beginning,
    and he defined their exact stations
    when he made them.
²⁷ He set their works in order forever,
    and arranged their spheres of authority
    for as long as they last.
They have never gotten hungry
or grown weary,
    and they have never
    abandoned their tasks.
²⁸ None of them crowd out their neighbor,
    and none will ever disobey his word.
²⁹ Afterward, the Lord looked at the earth
    and filled it with his good things.
³⁰ He covered its surface
with every living being,
    and they return into it.

17 The Lord created a human being
out of earth,
    and he returned that human being
    into it again.
² God gave human beings a set number
of days and a fixed time,
    and he gave them authority
    over the things that are upon the earth.
³ God endowed them with strength like his, and he made them according
to his image.
⁴ God made all living beings afraid of them, so that they might exercise dominion over the animals and birds.^[az]
6 God gave them the capacity to plan,
a tongue and eyes,
    ears and a mind^[ba] for thinking.
⁷ God filled them with common sense,
    and he showed them
    good things and bad.
⁸ God put awe for him in their hearts,
    in order to show them the greatness
    of his works.^[bb]
9 So that they might tell of the magnificence of his works,
¹⁰     they will praise his holy name.
¹¹ God placed knowledge before them,
    and he gave them a code for living.^[bc]
12 God established an eternal covenant
with them,
    and he showed them his decrees.
¹³ They saw the majesty of his glory
with their own eyes,
    and they heard his glorious voice
    with their own ears.
¹⁴ God said to them,
“Beware of every injustice,”
    and he gave each of them commandments concerning
    their neighbor.

¹⁵ Their ways are always before him;
    they won’t be hidden from his sight.^[bd]
17 God appointed a leader for each nation,
    and Israel is
    the Lord’s responsibility.^[be]
19 All of their deeds are before him
as plain as the sun,
    and his eyes are always on their ways.
²⁰ Their wrongs are not hidden from him,
    and all their sins are exposed
    in the Lord’s presence.^[bf]
22 A person’s acts of charity
are like a seal with him,
    and he will treasure a person’s generosity like the apple of his eye.^[bg]
23 Afterward God will rise up
and repay them;
    he will deliver their repayment
    upon their heads.
²⁴ However, for those who changed their hearts and minds, God granted a way back, and he encouraged those
who were abandoning hope.

²⁵ Turn back to the Lord
and leave sin behind;
    offer prayers in his presence,
    and reduce your offense.
²⁶ Return to the Most High,
and turn from injustice,^[bh]
    and hate what he detests.
²⁷ Who will praise the Most High
in the grave^[bi]
    instead of the living
    and those who give thanks?
²⁸ From the dead thanksgiving has perished, since they are no longer alive;
    those who are alive and healthy
    will praise the Lord.
²⁹ How great is the Lord’s mercy!
    How quickly is he reconciled
    with those who turn back to him!
³⁰ Human beings can’t do all things,
    because no person is immortal.
³¹ What shines brighter than the sun?
Even that fails.
    Flesh and blood will hanker after evil.
³² The Lord examines the might
of heaven’s height,
    and all human beings are dust and ashes.

18 The one who lives forever
created everything
in a common fashion.
² Only the Lord will be declared just.^[bj]
4 He has given no one the power
to proclaim his works.
    Who can search out his majestic deeds?
⁵ Who will measure
the power of his greatness?
    Who will continue to recount his mercy?
⁶ It’s impossible to diminish
or to increase these things,
    and it’s impossible
    to search out the wonders of the Lord.
⁷ When people finish,
then they are just beginning,
    and when they pause,
    then they are puzzled.
⁸ What are human beings,
and what use are they?
    What’s good about them,
    and what’s evil about them?
⁹ The length of a person’s life
is as much as one hundred years.^[bk]
10 Like a drop of water from the sea
or a grain of sand,
    so are a few years in the span of eternity.
¹¹ Therefore, the Lord was patient
with them,
    and he poured out his mercy upon them.
¹² He saw and knew that their end
was terrible;
    therefore, his willingness to be reconciled increased.
¹³ Neighbors display mercy
toward each other,
    but the mercy of the Lord is for all beings:
        he corrects, instructs, teaches,
        and turns them back,
        as a shepherd does his flock.
¹⁴ He shows mercy to those
who accept discipline
    and to those who passionately pursue
    his judgments.

¹⁹ Learn before you speak,
    and attend to yourself
    before you get sick.
²⁰ Examine yourself before judgment,
    and you will be reconciled
    when you are examined.
²¹ Humble yourself before you get sick,
    and when you commit sins
    show a changed heart and mind.
²² Don’t be prevented from repaying
a solemn promise in a timely way,
    and don’t wait until death
    to be vindicated.
²³ Prepare yourself before making
a solemn promise,
    and don’t be like someone
    who tests the Lord.
²⁴ Be mindful of his wrath in times of death
    and in times of vengeance
    when he turns his face away.
²⁵ Remember a time of hunger
in a time of plenty,
    a time of poverty and want
    in times of wealth.
²⁶ From morning until evening
opportune times change,
    and all things are fleeting
    in the Lord’s presence.

²⁷ Wise people exercise caution
in everything,
    and in times of sin
    they will take heed against error.
²⁸ All intelligent people
have recognized Wisdom,
    and they will acknowledge^[bm]
    anyone who finds her.
²⁹ Those who are intelligent with words
have become wise themselves,
    and they have poured forth
    fitting proverbs.^[bn]

19 A drunken worker^[bq]
won’t become rich,
    and whoever neglects the little things
    will fail little by little.
² Wine and women
will mislead an intelligent person,
    and the one who has sex with prostitutes will become more reckless.
³ Decay and worms will possess him,
    and his reckless soul will be carried away.
⁴ Those who trust others too quickly
have empty heads,
    and those who sin injure themselves.
⁵ Those who rejoice in wickedness
will be condemned.^[br]
6 And those who are reticent to speak
diminish wickedness.
⁷ Never repeat something that you’ve heard,
    and you will not lose anything.
⁸ Don’t report it to a friend or an enemy,
    and, as long as it wouldn’t be a sin for you, don’t reveal it.
⁹ People might hear you or observe you,
    and in time they will hate you.
¹⁰ Have you heard some word?
Let it perish along with you.
    Have courage!
    It won’t make you burst.
¹¹ Because of something spoken,
a fool will suffer labor pains
    like those caused by a baby
    about to be delivered.
¹² Like an arrow stuck in a thigh,
    so is a word in the belly of a fool.
¹³ Question a friend;
perhaps he didn’t do it.
    And if he did, question him
    so he doesn’t do it again.
¹⁴ Question a neighbor;
perhaps she didn’t say it.
    And if she did say it,
    question her so that she doesn’t repeat it.
¹⁵ Question a friend, because it often
turns out to be a false accusation.
    Don’t trust everything that is said.
¹⁶ There are those who slip,
and it wasn’t intentional.
    Who hasn’t sinned with the tongue?
¹⁷ Question your neighbor
before issuing a threat,
    and give the Law of the Most High
    its place.^[bs]

⁹ Some people have success
in bad circumstances,
    and there’s a windfall that results
    in loss.
¹⁰ There’s a gift that won’t profit you,
    and there’s a gift that will bring
    twice the return.
¹¹ There are losses suffered
for the sake of one’s reputation,
    and there are people who have raised
    their heads from humiliation.
¹² There are those who buy a lot for a little,
    and they pay for it seven times over.
¹³ Wise people make themselves
dearly loved by means of words,^[bw]
    but fools pour out gifts.
¹⁴ Gifts from senseless people
won’t profit you,^[bx]
    because they look for a lot
    rather than a little in return.^[by]
15 They will give a little and reproach a lot,
    and they will open their mouths
    like a town crier.
    Today they will lend
    and tomorrow ask for it back;
    such people are hateful.
¹⁶ Fools say, “I don’t have a friend,
    and there’s no gratitude
    for my good deeds.”
    Those who eat the bread of such people
    have mean tongues.
¹⁷ How many will ridicule them,
and how often?^[bz]

¹⁸ A slip on the pavement is preferable
to a slip of the tongue;
    so the downfall of evil people
    will come quickly.
¹⁹ A disagreeable person, an untimely story—
    it will always be
    in the mouth of the uneducated.
²⁰ Proverbs told by fools will be rejected,
    because they’ll never tell them
    at their proper time.

²¹ Some are prevented from sinning
because of poverty,
    and their conscience won’t be pained
    when they rest.
²² Some destroy their life through shame,
    and they destroy it
    because of foolish appearances.
²³ Some promise a favor to a friend
out of shame,
    and they create an enemy for no reason.

²⁴ A lie is a bad blemish on a person;
    ignorant people tell them incessantly.
²⁵ A thief is preferable to someone
who continuously lies,
    but both will inherit destruction.
²⁶ The character of liars is dishonorable;
    their shame is continuously
    with them.

⁴ Alarm and insolence will strip away wealth;
    thus will an arrogant person’s house
    be uprooted.
⁵ The petition of the poor goes
from their mouth to God’s ears,
    and his judgment comes quickly.
⁶ Anyone who hates reproof
walks in the footsteps of a sinner,
    and those who fear the Lord
    will turn back to him from the heart.
⁷ Those who are powerful in speech
are widely known,
    but those who are thoughtful
    know when they slip.

⁸ Those who build their houses
with another person’s money
    are like those who gather stones
    for their own burial mound.
⁹ A gathering of lawless people
is the same as bundled flax;
    their end is a flaming fire.
¹⁰ The path of sinners
is made level with stones,
    but its end is the pit of hell.^[cc]

¹⁵ If those who understand
hear a wise word;
        they will praise it and add to it.
    Those who like to indulge themselves
    hear it and are displeased,
        and they turn their back on it.
¹⁶ A fool’s endless talk
is a burden while on a journey,
    but grace will be found
    on the lips of the intelligent.
¹⁷ The speech of the prudent
will be sought out in an assembly,
    and its members will take their words
    to heart.