man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 6. Surely extortion maketh a wise man foolish; and a gift destroyeth 7. the understanding. Better is the end of a thing than the be

ginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the 8. proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for 9. anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou 10. dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance: yea, more excellent is it for them that see the 11. sun. For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence: but

the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life 12. of him that hath it. In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath even made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out any thing that shall be after him.

13.

And this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a 14. wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil doing. Be not

righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why 15. shouldst thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked,

neither be thou foolish: why shouldst thou die before thy time? 16. It is good that thou shouldst take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

17. Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers 18. which are in a city. Surely there is not a righteous man upon 19. earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

20.

All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is is far off, and exceeding 21. deep; who can find it out? I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that 22. foolishness is madness. And I find a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but 23. the sinner shall be taken by her. Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, weighing one thing after another, to find out 24. the reason, which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found:

one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all 29. those have I not found. Behold, this only have I found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

1.

IV.

WHO is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the 2. hardness of his face is changed. I counsel thee, keep the king's 3. command, and that in regard to the oath of God. There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.

4. And withal I saw the wicked buried, and they came to the grave; and they that had done right went away from the holy 5. place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do 6. evil. Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a 7. shadow; because he feareth not before God. There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be righteous men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that 9. neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. 10. For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this; that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

11.

Go thy way, eat thy bread, and drink thy wine with a merry 12. heart; for God hath already accepted thy works. Let thy gar13. ments be always white; and let not thy head lack ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun : for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherein thou la14. bourest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with might; for there is no work. nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

15.

I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me: there was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged 16. it, and built great bulwarks against it: now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; 17. yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

18. The words of the wise, heard in quiet, are better than the cry 19. of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

20. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were

an error which proceedeth from the ruler: folly is set in great 21. dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon 22. horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a fence a serpent shall bite him.

23.

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy 24. princes eat in the morning! Happy art thou, O land, when

thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, 25. for strength, and not for drunkenness! By slothfulness the

roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house 26. leaketh. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.

1.

V.

CAST thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days, Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for 2. thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the 3. place where the tree falleth, there shall it be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds 4. shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth 5. all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. 6. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes 7. to behold the sun. Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

8.

Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in thy sight of thine eyes: but know thou that for all 9. these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the prime of life are vanity.

10.

Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, or ever the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt 11. say, I have no pleasure in them; or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds 12. return after the rain: in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong ones shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be 13. shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters 14. of music shall be brought low; yea, thou shalt be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; because a man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 15. or ever the silver cord be snapped asunder, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the 16. wheel broken at the cistern; and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.

17.

18.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.

And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and 19. set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

20.

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are the words of the collectors of sentences, which are given 21. from one shepherd. And furthermore, my son, be admonished; of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

22.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. 23. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

SELECTIONS FROM

ECCLESIASTICUS;

OR, WISDOM OF BEN SIRACH,

About 190-180, B. C. E.

(The book of "Proverbs of Jeshuah ben Sirach" belongs to the so-called apocryphal writings having been excluded from the sacred canon; it equals however in ethical and religious value the best productions of the wisdom literature; and forms, therefore, an indispensible link in the history of Jewish ethics.)

I.

1. ALL WISDOM cometh from the LORD, and is with him forever. 2. Who can number the sand of the sea, and the drops of rain, and the days of eternity?

3. Who can find out the height of heaven, and the breadth of the earth, and the deep, and wisdom?

4. Wisdom hath been created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from everlasting.

5. The fear of the LORD is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish; both which are the gifts of God: and it enlargeth their rejoicing that love him.

6. My son, if thou come to serve the LORD, prepare thy soul for discipline.

7. Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble.

8. Cleave unto Him, and depart not away, that thou mayest be increased at thy last end.

9. Whatsoever is brought upon thee, take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate.

10. For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.