CHAPTER 18
1 He that liveth without beginning and end, made of nought all things together;
2 God alone shall be justified,
3 and he dwelleth a King unover-come without end. [and dwelleth unvanquished king without end.]
4 Who shall suffice to tell out his works? for why who shall seek the great [worthy] things of him?
5 But who shall tell out the virtue of his greatness? either who shall lay to for to tell out his mercy?
6 It is not to make less, neither to lay to; neither it is to find the great things of God. [There is not to lessen, nor to add to; nor there is to find the great worthy things of God.]
7 When a man hath ended, then he shall begin [or then he beginneth]; and when he hath rested, he shall work.
8 What is a man, and what is the glory of him? and what is good, either what is the wicked thing of him?
9 The number of the days of men, that be commonly [or as much as] an hundred years,
10 be areckoned as the drops of the water of the sea; and as the stone of gravel, so a few years in the day of everlastingness [or of the spiritual world].
11 For this thing God is patient in them, and sheddeth out [or shall pour out] on them his mercy.
12 He saw the presumption, [or pride], of their heart, for it was evil; and he knew the destroying of them, for it was wicked, [or shrewd]. There-fore he filled his mercy in them, and showed to them the way of equity.
13 The merciful doing of man is about his neighbour; but the mercy of the Lord is over each [or upon all] flesh. He that hath mercy, and teacheth, and chastiseth as a shepherd his flock,
14 do he mercy, taking the teaching of merciful doing; and he that hasteth in the dooms thereof.
15 Son, in goods [or good things] give thou not complaint, and in each gift give thou not heaviness of an evil word.
16 Whether dew shall not cool heat? so and a word is better than [a] gift.
17 Lo! whether a word is not above a good gift? but ever either is with a man justified [or but either with a justified man].
18 A fool shall upbraid sharply [or The fool sharply shall give reproof]; and the gift of an untaught man maketh eyes to fail.
19 Before the doom make thou ready rightfulness [or rightwiseness] to thee; and learn thou, before that thou speak. Before sickness give thou [or take] medicine;
20 and before the doom ask thyself, and thou shalt find mercy in the sight of God.
21 Before sickness make thee meek, and in the time of sickness show thy living [or thy conversation].
22 Be thou not hindered to pray ever[more], and dread thou not to be justified till to death; for why the meed of God dwelleth without end.
23 Before prayer make ready [or prepare] thy soul; and do not thou be as a man that tempteth God, that is, that a man betake himself to peril, and believe that that he may do reasonably, and abide to be delivered of God.
24 Have thou mind of ire [or wrath] in the day of ending; and make thou in living the time of yielding.
25 Have thou mind of poverty in the day of abundance [or plenty]; and the need of poverty in the time of riches.
26 From the morrowtide unto the eventide the time shall be changed; and all these things be swift in the eyes of God.
27 A wise man shall dread in all things; and in the days of trespasses he shall flee from unknowing, either sloth.
28 Each fell [or witting] man, that is, attentive to eschew evils, by God’s dread, knoweth wisdom; and to him that findeth it, he shall give acknowl-edging to it.
29 Witting men in words also they did wisely, and understood truth, and rightfulness [or rightwiseness]; and besought proverbs and dooms.
30 Go thou not after thy covetous-nesses [or lusts]; and be thou turned away from thy will.
31 If thou givest to thy soul the covetousnesses [or lusts] thereof, it shall make thee into joy to thine enemies.
32 Delight thou not in companies, neither in little companies[or small things]; for why the sinning [or trespassing] of them is continual.
33 Be thou not mean in the striving of love, and something is [not] to thee in the bag, [or Not be thou mean in striving for money, and there is not to thee nothing in the world]; for why thou shalt be envious to thy soul.