1The wisdom of a man made meek shall enhance his head; and shall make him to sit in the midst of great men.

2Praise thou not a man in his fairness; neither despise thou a man in his sight.

3A bee is little among birds; and his fruit hath the beginning of sweet-ness.

4Have thou never glory in cloth-ing, and be thou not enhanced in the day of thine honour; for why the works of the Highest alone be wonderful, and his works be glorious, and hid, and unseen.

5Many tyrants have set in throne; and a man of whom was no supposing bare the diadem.

6Many mighty men be oppressed strongly; and glorious men be given into the hands of other men. [Many mighty men be oppressed greatly; and the glorious be taken into the hands of other men.]

7Before that thou ask, blame thou not any man; and when thou hast asked, blame thou justly [or chastise thou rightly].

8Before that thou hear, answer thou not a word; and in the midst of elder men add thou not to speak.

9Strive thou not, of that thing that dis-easeth [or grieveth] not thee; and stand thou not in the doom of sins [or in the middle of sinners].

10Son, thy deeds be not in many things; and if thou art rich, thou shalt not be without part of guilt [or thou shalt not be guiltless from trespass]. For if thou pursuest [or shalt follow], thou shalt not [over]-take; and thou shalt not escape, if thou runnest before.

11There is a man travailing, and hasting, and sorrowing, and unpious; and by so much the more he shall not have plenty [or shall not abound].

12There is a man fade, that is, feeble, failing more than others, needy of recovering, failing more in virtue, and plenteous in poverty; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and raised him from his lowness, [There is a man withered, needing recovering, more failing in virtue, and abounding in poorness; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and reared him from his lowness;]

13and enhanced his head; and many men wondered [or marvelled] in him, and honoured [or worship-ped] God.

14Goods and evils, that is, prosperities and adversities, life and death, poverty and riches, be of God.

15Wisdom, and learning, and knowing of the law be with the Lord; love and the ways of good men be at [or with] him.

16Error and darknesses be made together to sinners; forsooth they that make full out joy in evil, wax eld [or old] together into evils.

17The gift of God dwelleth to just [or rightwise] men; and increasings of him shall have prosperities without end.

18Some man there is made rich in doing scarcely [or scarcely doing], and this is the part of his meed,

19in that that he saith, I have found rest to me, and now I alone shall eat of my goods. And he know not that time passeth him, and death nigheth, and he shall leave all things to other men, and shall die [or and die].

20Stand thou in thy testament, and speak thou altogether in it; and wax thou eld [or old] in the work of thy behests.

21Dwell [or Abide] thou not in the works of sinners; but trust thou in God, and dwell in thy place. For it is easy in the eyes of God, suddenly to make rich a poor man.

22The blessing of God hasteth into the meed of a just [or rightwise] man; and the going forth of him maketh fruit in swift honour.

23Say thou not, What is need to me? and what goods shall be for me hereafter?

24Say thou not, I am sufficient, and what shall I be made worse hereafter?

25In the day of goods, be thou not unmindful of evils, and in the day of evils, be thou not unmindful of goods;

26for it is easy before God to yield in the day of death, to each man after his ways. [for light it is before God in the day of death, to yield to each after his ways.]

27The malice of one hour maketh forgetting of most lechery; and in the end of a man is making naked of his works.

28Praise thou not any man before his death; for why a man is known in his sons.

29Bring thou not each man into thine house; for why many treasons be of a guileful [or treacherous] man.

30For why as the entrails of stinking things break out, and as a partridge is led into a trap, either net, and as a capret is led into a snare, so and the heart of proud men; and as a beholder [or the for-looker] seeing the fall of his neighbour.

31For he turneth goods [or good things] into evils, and setteth treasons, and putteth a wem on chosen men.

32Fire is increased of a sparkle, and blood is increased of a guileful [or treacherous] man; for why a sinful man setteth treason to blood.

33Take heed to thee from a guileful man, for he maketh evils; lest per-adventure he bring in on thee scorning without end.

34Receive thou an alien to thee, and he shall destroy thee in a whirlwind, and he shall make thee alienated from thine own ways.