Anonymous (Septuagint) · a new plain-English translation from the original language
1| Sleeplessness over wealth wastes away the flesh, and anxiety over it drives off sleep.
2| Anxious sleeplessness will banish slumber, and a heavy sickness will shake off sleep.
3| The rich man toils to amass money, and in his rest he is filled with his luxuries.
4| The poor man toils in the diminishing of his livelihood, and even in his rest he is left in want.
5| The one who loves gold will not be justified, and the one who chases after corruption will himself be filled with it.
6| Many have been given over to ruin for the sake of gold, and their destruction has come right before their eyes.
7| It is a stumbling-block of wood to those who are devoted to it, and every fool will be caught by it.
8| Blessed is the rich man who is found blameless, and who has not gone chasing after gold.
9| Who is he, that we may call him blessed? For he has done wonders among his people.
10| Who has been tested by it and been found complete? Let it be a cause for boasting. Who could have transgressed and did not transgress, and could have done evil and did not do it?
11| His prosperity will be made secure, and the assembly will recount his acts of mercy.
12| Have you sat down at a great table? Do not open your throat wide over it, and do not say, 'There is certainly a lot on it!'
13| Remember that an evil eye is a bad thing. What has been created more evil than the eye? For that reason it sheds tears at the sight of every face.
14| Wherever it looks, do not stretch out your hand, and do not crowd in on your neighbor at the dish.
15| Judge your neighbor's wants by your own, and think it over in every matter.
16| Eat what is set before you like a human being, and do not chew greedily, lest you be hated.
17| Be the first to stop, out of good manners, and do not be insatiable, lest you give offense.
18| And if you are seated in the midst of many, do not reach out your hand before the rest of them.
19| A little is enough for a well-mannered man, and he does not pant for breath on his bed.
20| Healthy sleep comes with a moderate stomach; he gets up at dawn clear-headed and alert. But the pain of sleeplessness, and nausea, and gripping pain accompany the insatiable man.
21| And if you have been forced into overeating, get up, go apart, and vomit, and you will find relief.
22| Listen to me, child, and do not despise me, and in the end you will find my words true. In all your works be diligent, and no sickness will ever come upon you.
23| Lips will bless the one who is generous with his bread, and the testimony to his fine character is trustworthy.
24| The city will grumble against the one who is stingy with his bread, and the testimony to his meanness is precise and sure.
25| Do not try to prove your manhood over wine, for wine has destroyed many.
26| The furnace tests the temper of steel by dipping it; so does wine test hearts in the quarreling of the proud.
27| Wine is life to a man, if he drinks it in its proper measure. What is life to a man deprived of wine? It was created from the beginning for the joy of mankind.
28| Wine drunk in season and in moderation is gladness of heart and joy of soul.
29| Wine drunk to excess is bitterness of soul, in provocation and stumbling.
30| Drunkenness increases the fury of a fool until he stumbles, diminishing his strength and multiplying his wounds.
31| At a wine party do not reprove your neighbor, and do not treat him with contempt in his merriment. Do not speak a word of reproach to him, and do not press him hard by demanding repayment.