11
1 The wisdom of the lowly shall lift up his head,
And make him to sit in the midst of great men.
2 Commend not a man for his beauty;
And abhor not a man for his outward appearance.
3 The bee is little among such as fly;
And her fruit is the chief of sweetmeats.
4 Glory not in the putting on of raiment,
And exalt not thyself in the day of honour;
For the works of the Lord are wonderful,
And his works are hidden among men.
5 Many * kings have sat down upon the ground;
And one that was never thought of hath worn a diadem.
6 Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced;
And men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands.
7 Blame not before thou hast examined:
Understand first, and then rebuke.
8 Answer not before thou hast heard;
And interrupt not in the midst of speech.
9 Strive not in a matter that concerneth thee not;
And where sinners judge, sit not thou with them.
10 My son, be not busy about many matters:
For if thou meddle much, thou shalt not be unpunished;
And if thou pursue, thou shalt not overtake;
And thou shalt not escape by fleeing.
11 There is one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh haste,
And is so much the more behind.
12 There is one that is sluggish, and hath need of help,
Lacking in strength, and that aboundeth in poverty;
And the eyes of the Lord looked upon him for good,
And he set him up from his low estate,
13 And lifted up his head;
And many marvelled at him.
14 Good things and evil, life and death,
Poverty and riches, are from the Lord. 15-16 †
17 The gift of the Lord remaineth with the godly,
And his good pleasure shall prosper for ever.
18 There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and pinching,
And this is the portion of his reward:
19 When he saith, I have found rest,
And now will I eat of my goods;
Yet he knoweth not what time shall pass,
And he shall leave them to others, and die.
20 Be stedfast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein,
And wax old in thy work.
21 Marvel not at the works of a sinner;
But trust the Lord, and abide in thy labour:
For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on the sudden to make a poor man rich.
22 The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of the godly;
And in an hour that cometh swiftly he maketh his blessing to flourish.
23 Say not, What use is there of me?
And what from henceforth shall my good things be?
24 Say not, I have sufficient,
And from henceforth what harm shall happen unto me?
25 In the day of good things there is a forgetfulness of evil things;
And in the day of evil things a man will not remember things that are good.
26 For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord
To reward a man in the day of death according to his ways.
27 The affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulness of delight;
And in the last end of a man is the revelation of his deeds.
28 Call no man blessed before his death;
And a man shall be known in his children.
29 Bring not every man into thine house;
For many are the plots of the deceitful man.
30 As a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a proud man;
And as one that is a spy, he looketh upon thy falling.
31 For he lieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil;
And in things that are praiseworthy he will lay blame.
32 From a spark of fire a heap of many coals is kindled;
And a sinful man lieth in wait for blood.
33 Take heed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth wicked things;
Lest haply he bring upon thee blame for ever.
34 Receive a stranger into thine house, and he will distract thee with brawls,
And estrange thee from thine own.
* 11:5 Gr. tyrants † 11:15-16 Verses 15 and 16 are omitted by the best authorities.