mighty day of their punish ment. 7 Give unto the good, and help not the finner. 8 A friend cannot be known in profperity, and an enemy cannot be hidden in adverfity. 15 For a while he will abide with thee, but if thou begin to fall, he will not tarry. 16 An enemy speaketh fweetly with his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit: he will weep with his eyes, but 9 In the profperity of a man, enemies will be griev-if he find opportunity, he will ed: but in his adverfity, even a friend will depart. not be fatisfied with blood. 17 If adverfity come upon thee, thou fhalt find him 10 Never truft thine enemy: for like as iron ruft-there firft; and though he eth, fo is his wickedness. ΙΙ II Though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good heed, and beware of him, and thou fhalt be unto him, as if thou hadft wiped a looking-glafs, and thou fhalt know that his ruft pretend to help thee, yet hall he undermine thee. 18 He will shake his head and clap his hands, and whifper much, and change his countenance, hath not been altogether H wiped away. CHAP. XIII. E that toucheth pitch, fhall be defiled therewith, and he that hath fel 12 Set him not by thee, left, when he hath over-lowship with a proud man, thrown thee, he ftand up in fhall be like unto him. thy place; neither let him fit at thy right hand, left he feek to take thy feat, and thou at the laft remember my words, and be pricked therewith. 13 Who will pity a charmer that is bitten with a ferpent, or any fuch as come nigh wild beafts? 14 So one that goeth to a finner, and is defiled with him in his fins, who will pity? 2 Burden not thyself above thy power, while thou liveft, and have no fellowfhip with one that is mightier and richer than thyself. For how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together? for if the one be fmitten against the other, it fhall be broken. 3 The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he muft intreat also. 4 If 4 If thou be for his profit, he will use thee: but if thou have nothing, he will forfake thee. 5 If thou have any thing, he will live with thee: yea, he will make thee bare, and will not be forry for it. 6 If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee, and fmile upon thee, and put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and fay, What wanteft thou? 7 And he will shame thee by his meats, until he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at the laft he will laugh thee to fcorn: afterward, when he feeth thee, he will forfake thee, and fhake his head at thee. 8 Beware that thou be not deceived, and brought down in thy jollity. 9 If thou be invited of a mighty man, withdraw thyfelf, and fo much the more will he invite thee. 10 Prefs thou not upon him, left thou be put back; ftand not far off, left thou be forgotten. II Affect not to be made equal unto him in talk, and believe not his many words: for with much communication will he tempt thee, and fmiling upon thee, will get out thy fecrets: 12 But cruelly he will lay up thy words, and will not spare to do thee hurt, and to put thee in prifon. 13 Obferve, and take good heed, for thou walkeft in peril of thy overthrowing; when thou hearest these things, awake in thy fleep. 14 Love the Lord all thy life, and call upon him for thy falvation. 15 Every beaft loveth his like, and every man loveth his neighbour. 16 All flesh conforteth according to kind, and a man will cleave to his like. 17 What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb? fo the finner with the godly. 18 What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog? and what peace between the rich and the poor? 19 As the wild afs is the lion's prey in the wilderness : fo the rich eat up the poor. 20 As the proud hate humility: fo doth the rich abhor the poor. 21 A rich man beginning to fall, is held up of his friends; but a poor man being down, is thrust also away by his friends. 22 When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers: he fpeaketh things not to be fpoken, and yet men juftify him: him the poor man flipt, and yet they rebuked him too; he fpake wifely, and could have no place. 23 When a rich man fpeaketh, every man holdeth his tongue, and look, what he faith, they extol it to the clouds: but if the poor man fpeak, they fay, What fellow is this? and if he ftumble, they will help to overthrow him. 24 Riches are good unto him that hath no fin, and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly. 25 The heart of a man changeth his countenance, whether it be for good or evil: and a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. 3 Riches are not comely for a niggard: and what fhould an envious man dọ with money? 4 He that gathereth by defrauding his own foul, gathereth for others that fhall spend his goods riotoufsly. 5 He that is evil to himfelf, to whom will he be good? he shall not take pleafure in his goods. 6 There is none worfe than he that envieth himself, and this is a recompence of his wickedness. 7 And if he doeth good, he doeth it unwillingly, and at the laft he will declare his wickedness. 8 The envious man hath a wicked eye, he turneth 26 A cheerful counte-away his face, and despiseth nance is a token of a heart men. that is in profperity; and the finding out of parables is a wearifome labour of the mind. B CHAP. XIV. 9 A covetous man's eye is not fatisfied with his portion, and the iniquity of the wicked drieth up his foul. 10 A wicked eye envieth [his] bread, and he is a niggard at his table. 11 My fon, according to ability, do good to thy LESSED is the man that hath not flipt with his mouth, and is not prick-thy ed with the multitude of felf, and give the Lord his due offering. fins. 2 Bleffed is he whose confcience hath not condemned him, and who is not fallen from his hope in the Lord. 12 Remember that death will not be long in coming, and that the covenant of the grave is not fhewed unto thee. 13 Do good unto thy that traceth, and lie in wait friend before thou die, and in her ways. according to thy ability ftretch out thy hand, and give to him. 14"Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good defire overpass thee. 15 Shalt thou not leave thy travels unto another? and thy labours to be divided by lot? 16 Give, and take, and fanctify thy foul, for there is no feeking of dainties in the grave. 17 All flesh waxeth old as a garment for the covenant from the beginning is, Thou fhalt die the death. 23 He that prieth in at her windows, fhall alfo hearken at her doors. 24 He that doth lodge near her houfe, fhall alfo faften a pin in her walls. 25 He fhall pitch his tent nigh unto her, and fhall lodge in a lodging where good things are. 26 He fhall fet his children under her shelter, and fhall lodge under her branches. 27 By her he shall be covered from heat, and in her glory fhall he dwell. CHAP. XV. 18 As of the green leaves HE that feareth the Lord on a thick tree, fome fall, and fome grow; fo is the generation of flesh and blood, one cometh to an end, and another is born. 19 Every work rotteth and confumeth away, and the worker thereof shall go withal. 20 Bleffed is the man that doth meditate good things in wifdom, and that reafoneth of holy things by his understanding. 21 He that confidereth her ways in his heart, fhall also have understanding in her fecrets. will do good, and he that hath the knowledge of the law, fhall obtain her. 2¶And as a mother fhall fhe meet him, and receive him as a wife married of a virgin. 3 With the bread of understanding shall she feed him, and give him the water of wisdom to drink. 4 He shall be stayed upon her, and fhall not be moved, and shall rely upon her, and fhall not be confounded. 5 She fhall exalt him above his neighbours, and in the midst of the congregation 22 Go after her as one | fhall fhe open his mouth. 6 He fhall find joy and af crown of gladness, and the fhall cause him to inherit an everlasting name. 7¶ But foolish men fhall not attain unto her, and finners fhall not fee her. 8 For fhe is far from pride, and men that are liars cannot remember her. 9 Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a finner, for it was not fent him of the Lord. 10 For praise fhall be uttered in wisdom, and the Lord will profper it. II Say not thou, It is through the Lord that I fell away for thou oughteft not to do the things that he hateth. 12 Say not thou, He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of the finful man. 13 The Lord hateth all abomination; and they that fear God love it not. 14 He himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counfel: 15 If thou wilt, to keep the commandments, and to perform acceptable faithfulnefs. 16 He hath fet fire and water before thee: ftretch forth thy hand unto whether thou wilt. 17 Before man is life and death, and whether him liketh, fhall be given him. 18 For the wisdom of the Lord is great, and he is mighty in power, and beholdeth all things? 19 And his eyes are upon them that fear him, and he knoweth every work of man. 20 He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he given any man licence to fin. DE CHAP. XVI. ESIRE not a multitude of unprofitable children, neither delight in ungodly fons. 2 Though they multiply, rejoice not in them, except the fear of the Lord be with them. 3 Truft not thou in their life, neither refpect their multitude: for one that is just is better than a thousand; and better it is to die without children, than to have them that are ungodly. 4 For by one that hath understanding, fhall the citybe replenished: but the kindred of the wicked fhall fpeedily become defolate. 5 Many fuch things have I feen with mine eyes, and mine ear hath heard greater things than these. 6 In |