CHAPTER 37
1 Each friend shall say, And I have coupled friendship; but that is a friend [or but there is a friend], a friend by name alone.
2 Whether sorrow is not till to death? Forsooth a fellow of table and a friend shall be turned to enmity.
3 A! the worst presumption [or O! most shrewd presumption], whereof art thou made to cover dry malice, and the guilefulness thereof? [or the treachery of it?]
4 A fellow of table shall be merry with a friend in delightings, and in the day of tribulation he shall be adversary.
5 A fellow of table shall have sorrow with a friend, for cause [or because] of the womb; and he shall take shield against an enemy.
6 Forget thou not thy friend in thy soul, and be thou not unmindful of him in thy works. Do not thou take counsel with the father of thy wife; and hide thou counsel from them that have envy to thee.
7 Each counsellor showeth counsel, but there is a counsellor to [or in] himself.
8 Keep thy soul from an evil counsellor; first know thou, what is his need, and what he shall think in his soul; lest peradventure he send a stake [or he put a pole or a pale] into the earth,
9 and say to thee, Thy way is good, and he stand again-ward, to see what shall befall to thee.
10 With an unreligious man, treat thou*not of holiness, and with an unjust man, not of rightfulness, [With an unreligious man treat of holiness, and with the unrightwise man of rightwiseness,]†
11 and with a woman, not of these things which she hateth [or envieth]. With a fearedful man, treat thou not of battle, with a merchant, not of carrying over of merchandises to chapping[or exchanging]; with a buyer, not of selling, with an envious man, not of graces to be done; with an unpiteous man, not of pity, with an unhonest man, not of honesty, with a workman of the field [or the field worker], not of each work; with a workman hired by the year, not of the ending of the year [or the annual worker], with a slow servant, not of much working. Give thou not atten-tion to these men in all counsel [or Take thou not heed to these in all counsel],
12 but be thou busy with an holy man, whomever thou knowest keeping God’s dread, whose soul is after thy soul. Whoever doubteth in darknesses, shall not have sorrow with thee.
13 And stablish thou the heart of good counsel with thee; for why an-other thing is not more than it to thee.
14 The soul of an holy man telleth out truths sometime; more than seven beholders [or seven lookers about], sitting on high for to behold.
15 And in all these things beseech thou the Highest, that he dress [or right rule] thy way in truth.
16 Before all works a soothfast word go before thee; and a steadfast [or stable] counsel go before each deed.
17 A wicked [or shrewd] word shall change the heart,
18 of which heart four parts come forth [or spring]; good and evil, life and death; and a busy tongue is lord of those.
19 A wise man hath taught many men, and he is not sweet to his soul.
20 He that speaketh sophistically, either by sophism, is hateful; he shall be defrauded in each thing.
21 For why grace is not given of the Lord to him, for he is defrauded of all wisdom.
22 A wise man is wise to his soul, and the fruits of his wit be worthy to be praised.
23 A wise man teacheth his people, and the fruits of his wit be faithful.
24 A wise man shall be filled with blessings, and they that see him shall praise him.
25 The life of a man is in the number of days; but the days of Israel be unnumberable.
26 A wise man in the people shall inherit honour, and his name shall be living without end.
27 Son, assay thy soul in thy life; and if it is wicked, give thou not power to it;
28 for why not all things speed to all men, and not each kind pleaseth each soul.
29 Do not thou be greedy in each eating, and shed thou not out thee [or pour thee not out] on each meat.
30 For in many meats shall be sick-ness, and greediness shall nigh unto choler.
31 Many men died for gluttony; but he that is abstinent, shall increase [or add] life.
* CHAPTER 37:10 The author of this book speaketh here (and also in verse 11 below) in scorn, and understandeth the contrary of his saying. † CHAPTER 37:10 In verse 12 of the Early Version, but not in the Later Version, the following sentence appears: Do thou not counsel with him that hath thee suspect, and from men envying to thee, hide thou thy counsel. See verse 37:10 of the KJV.