CHAPTER 11
1 The wisdom of a man made meek shall enhance his head; and shall make him to sit in the midst of great men.
2 Praise thou not a man in his fairness; neither despise thou a man in his sight.
3 A bee is little among birds; and his fruit hath the beginning of sweet-ness.
4 Have thou never glory in cloth-ing, and be thou not enhanced in the day of thine honour; for why the works of the Highest alone be wonderful, and his works be glorious, and hid, and unseen.
5 Many tyrants have set in throne; and a man of whom was no supposing bare the diadem.
6 Many mighty men be oppressed strongly; and glorious men be given into the hands of other men. [Many mighty men be oppressed greatly; and the glorious be taken into the hands of other men.]
7 Before that thou ask, blame thou not any man; and when thou hast asked, blame thou justly [or chastise thou rightly].
8 Before that thou hear, answer thou not a word; and in the midst of elder men add thou not to speak.
9 Strive thou not, of that thing that dis-easeth [or grieveth] not thee; and stand thou not in the doom of sins [or in the middle of sinners].
10 Son, thy deeds be not in many things; and if thou art rich, thou shalt not be without part of guilt [or thou shalt not be guiltless from trespass]. For if thou pursuest [or shalt follow], thou shalt not [over]-take; and thou shalt not escape, if thou runnest before.
11 There is a man travailing, and hasting, and sorrowing, and unpious; and by so much the more he shall not have plenty [or shall not abound].
12 There is a man fade, that is, feeble, failing more than others, needy of recovering, failing more in virtue, and plenteous in poverty; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and raised him from his lowness, [There is a man withered, needing recovering, more failing in virtue, and abounding in poorness; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and reared him from his lowness;]
13 and enhanced his head; and many men wondered [or marvelled] in him, and honoured [or worship-ped] God.
14 Goods and evils, that is, prosperities and adversities, life and death, poverty and riches, be of God.
15 Wisdom, and learning, and knowing of the law be with the Lord; love and the ways of good men be at [or with] him.
16 Error and darknesses be made together to sinners; forsooth they that make full out joy in evil, wax eld [or old] together into evils.
17 The gift of God dwelleth to just [or rightwise] men; and increasings of him shall have prosperities without end.
18 Some man there is made rich in doing scarcely [or scarcely doing], and this is the part of his meed,
19 in that that he saith, I have found rest to me, and now I alone shall eat of my goods. And he know not that time passeth him, and death nigheth, and he shall leave all things to other men, and shall die [or and die].
20 Stand thou in thy testament, and speak thou altogether in it; and wax thou eld [or old] in the work of thy behests.
21 Dwell [or Abide] thou not in the works of sinners; but trust thou in God, and dwell in thy place. For it is easy in the eyes of God, suddenly to make rich a poor man.
22 The blessing of God hasteth into the meed of a just [or rightwise] man; and the going forth of him maketh fruit in swift honour.
23 Say thou not, What is need to me? and what goods shall be for me hereafter?
24 Say thou not, I am sufficient, and what shall I be made worse hereafter?
25 In the day of goods, be thou not unmindful of evils, and in the day of evils, be thou not unmindful of goods;
26 for it is easy before God to yield in the day of death, to each man after his ways. [for light it is before God in the day of death, to yield to each after his ways.]
27 The malice of one hour maketh forgetting of most lechery; and in the end of a man is making naked of his works.
28 Praise thou not any man before his death; for why a man is known in his sons.
29 Bring thou not each man into thine house; for why many treasons be of a guileful [or treacherous] man.
30 For why as the entrails of stinking things break out, and as a partridge is led into a trap, either net, and as a capret is led into a snare, so and the heart of proud men; and as a beholder [or the for-looker] seeing the fall of his neighbour.
31 For he turneth goods [or good things] into evils, and setteth treasons, and putteth a wem on chosen men.
32 Fire is increased of a sparkle, and blood is increased of a guileful [or treacherous] man; for why a sinful man setteth treason to blood.
33 Take heed to thee from a guileful man, for he maketh evils; lest per-adventure he bring in on thee scorning without end.
34 Receive thou an alien to thee, and he shall destroy thee in a whirlwind, and he shall make thee alienated from thine own ways.