Anonymous (Septuagint) · a new plain-English translation from the original language
1| He who lives forever created all things together;
2| the Lord alone will be shown righteous.
3|
4| To no one has he granted power to declare his works; and who can trace out his mighty deeds?
5| Who can number the might of his greatness? And who can go on to recount his mercies?
6| There is nothing to take away and nothing to add, and no one can trace out the wonders of the Lord.
7| When a man has finished, then he is only beginning, and when he stops, then he is at a loss.
8| What is a person, and of what worth? What good lies in him, or what harm?
9| At the very most, a human lifespan counts a hundred years.
10| Like a drop of water from the sea, or a grain of sand, so are a few years in the day of eternity.
11| For this reason the Lord is patient with them, and pours out his mercy upon them.
12| He saw and recognized that their end is grievous, and therefore he multiplied his forgiveness.
13| A man's mercy is for his neighbor, but the Lord's mercy is for all flesh; he reproves and disciplines and teaches, and turns back, as a shepherd his flock.
14| He has mercy on those who accept discipline, and on those who are diligent for his judgments.
15| My child, do not mix a reproach into good deeds, nor grief of words into any gift.
16| Does not dew give relief from scorching heat? So a word is better than a gift.
17| See, is not a word worth more than a good gift? Both are found together in a gracious man.
18| A fool reproaches ungraciously, and the gift of a grudging man makes the eyes waste away.
19| Learn before you speak, and take care of yourself before you fall ill.
20| Before judgment, examine yourself, and in the hour of visitation you will find forgiveness.
21| Humble yourself before you fall ill, and in the time of sins show that you have turned back.
22| Let nothing hinder you from paying a vow in its season, and do not wait until death to be justified.
23| Before you make a vow, prepare yourself, and do not be like a man who tests the Lord.
24| Remember wrath in the days of your final reckoning, and the season of retribution when his face turns away.
25| Remember a time of famine in a time of plenty, poverty and want in the days of wealth.
26| From morning to evening the season changes, and all things are swift before the Lord.
27| A wise man will be cautious in everything, and in the days of sins he will guard against wrongdoing.
28| Every man of understanding knows wisdom, and to the one who finds her he gives thanks.
29| Those skilled in words became wise themselves, and poured out precise proverbs.
30| Self-control of the soul. Do not go after your desires, and hold yourself back from your appetites.
31| If you give your soul the delight of desire, it will make you the laughingstock of your enemies.
32| Do not delight in much luxury, and do not be bound to its expense.
33| Do not become a beggar by feasting on borrowed money, when you have nothing at all in your purse.