CHAPTER 42
1 Be thou not ashamed [or con-founded] for all these things; and take [or accept]or favour thou not a person, that thou do trespass.
2 Be thou ware of the law and testament of the Highest, of doom to justify a wicked [or unpious] man;
3 of the word of fellows, and of way-goers, and of the giving of heritage of friends;
4 of the evenness of balance, and of weights, of the getting of many things, and of few things;
5 of corruption of buying, and of merchants, and of much chastising [or discipline] of sons; and of a worst servant, to make the side to bleed.
6 A sealing, either enclosing, is good on a wicked woman. Where be many hands, enclose thou;
7 and whatever thing thou shalt betake, number thou, and weigh thou; forsooth describe thou, either write down, each gift, and taking.
8 Abstain thou from the teaching [or discipline] of an unwitting man, and [the] fool, and of elder men [or elders] that be deemed of young men; and thou shalt be learned in all things, and thou shalt be commend-able [or approvable] in the sight of all men.
9 An hid daughter of a father is waking and busyness of him; she shall take away sleep [or The daughter of the father is hid, the watch and the busyness of her shall do away sleep]; lest peradventure she be made adult-eress in her young waxing age, and lest she dwelling with the husband, be made hateful;
10 lest anytime she be defouled in her virginity [or polluted in her maidenhood], and be found with child in the keeping of her father; lest peradventure she dwelling with the husband, do trespass [or she trespass], either certainly be made barren.
11 Ordain thou keeping [or ward] on a lecherous daughter, lest any time she make thee to come into shame [or reproof] to [thine] enemies, of back-biting in the city, and of casting out of the people; and she make thee ashamed in the multitude of people.
12 Do not thou take heed to each man in the fairness, that is, in delighting in the beholding of his fairness; and do not thou dwell in the midst of women.
13 For why a moth cometh forth of clothes, and [the] wickedness of a man cometh forth of a woman.
14 For why the wickedness of a man is better, that is, less evil, than a woman doing well, and a woman shaming into shame [or a woman confounded into reproof]*.
15 Therefore be thou [or be I] mindful of the works of the Lord; and I shall tell the works of the Lord, which I saw, in the words of the Lord.
16 The sun lightening beheld by all things [or The sun shining through all things beheld]; and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord.
17 Whether the Lord made not holy men [or saints] to tell out all his marvels, which the Lord Almighty steadfast in his glory shall confirm?
18 He shall ensearch the depth, and the heart of men; and he shall think in the fellness, [or the sly wit, or guile], of them. For the Lord knew all knowing, and beheld into the signs of the world;
19 telling [out] those things that be passed, and those things that shall come; showing [or opening] the steps of hid things.
20 And no thought passeth him by, and no word hideth itself from him.
21 He made fair the great works of his wisdom, which is before the world, and till into the world; neither anything is increased, neither is decreased, [or nor it is added, nor it is lessened], and he hath no need to the counsel of any [man].
22 All his works be full desirable, and to behold, as a sparkle which is. [How desirable be all the works of him, and as a sparkle that is, to behold.]
23 All these things live, and dwell into the world; and all things obey to him in all need.
24 All things be double, one against one; and he made not anything to fail.
25 He shall confirm the goods of each [or Of everything he shall confirm the goods]; and who shall be filled, seeing his glory?
* CHAPTER 42:14 See note for Chapter 25, verse 13.