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CHAPTER 10
1 A wise judge shall deem his people; and the princehood of a witty, (or a witting, or a knowing) man shall be steadfast [or be stable].
2 After the judge of the people, so and his ministers [or the servants of him]; and what manner man is the governor of the city, such be also men dwelling therein.
3 An unwise king shall lose (or destroy) his people; and (or but) cities shall be inhabited by the wit of prudent men.
4 The power of (the) earth is in the hand of God, and all the wickedness of heathen men [or the Gentiles] is abominable; and he shall raise (up) a profitable governor at a time [or in (due) time] on it.
5 The power of man is in the hand of God; and he shall set his honour on the face of a wise man in the law [or the scribe].
6 Have thou not mind on all the wrong of the neighbour; and do thou nothing in the works of wrong-(doing).
7 Pride is hateful before God and men; and all the wickedness of (the) heathen men [or (the) Gentiles]is abominable.
8 A realm is translated, either taken away, [or borne over], from a folk into folk for unrightfulnesses, and wrongs, and despisings, and diverse guiles, [or for unrightwisenesses, and wrongs, and strives, and diverse treacheries].
9 Nothing is curseder than an avarice man. What (or Why) art thou proud, thou earth and ashes? Nothing is worse, than for to love money, [or Nothing is more wicked, than to love money]; for why this man hath, yea, his soul set to (or for) sale, for in his life he hath cast away his innerest things, [or this forsooth hath his soul sellable, or able to be sold, for in his life he threw away his (most) inward things].
10 Each power is short life (or short-lived); long sickness [or infirmity] grieveth the leech (or the physician). A leech (or The physician) cutteth away [or cutteth off] short sickness; so and a king is today [or today is], and tomorrow he shall die.
11 Forsooth when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms.
12 The beginning of [the] pride of man was to be apostate [or to go backward] from God; for his heart went away from him that made him.
13 For why pride is the beginning of all sin [or For the beginning of all sin is pride]; he that holdeth it, shall be filled with cursings, and it shall destroy him into the end. Therefore the Lord hath shamed the covents, or convents, (or the gatherings) of evil men, and hath destroyed them unto the end.
14 God destroyed the seats (or the thrones) of proud dukes; and made mild men to sit for them.
15 God made dry the roots of proud folks; and planted meek men of those folks.
16 The Lord destroyed the lands of folks [or Gentiles]; and lost those [or destroyed them] unto the foundament (or unto the foundation of the earth).
17 He made dry the roots of them, and lost (or destroyed) them; and made the mind of them (or their memory) to cease from the earth. God lost the mind of proud men; and left the mind of meek men in wit, (or God destroyed the memory of the proud; but left the memory of the humble).
18 Pride was not made to (or for) men; neither wrathfulness to (or for) the nation of women, that is, to all men born of women.
19 This seed of men that dreadeth God, shall be honoured; but this seed shall be dishonoured, that over-pass-eth (or that passeth over) the commandments of the Lord.
20 In the midst of brethren the governor of them is in honour; and they that dread God, shall be in his eyes, that is, shall be honourable, and please him.
21 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
22 The glory of rich men honoured and of poor men is the dread of God.
23 Do not thou despise a just [or the rightwise] poor man; and do not thou magnify a rich sinful man.
24 The judge is great, and he is mighty in honour; and (or but) he is not greater than that man that dread-eth God. [Great is a judge, and the mighty is in worship; and (or but) he is not more than he that dreadeth God.]
25 Free children serve a witty, (or a witting, or a knowing) servant; and a prudent man and learned shall not grutch (or grumble), when he is blamed, and an uncunning, (or an unknowing, or an ignorant) man shall not be honored.
26 Do not thou enhance thee in thy work to be done; and do not thou be slow [or despair] in the time of anguish.
27 He is better that worketh, and hath plenty [or aboundeth] in all things, than he that hath glory, (or boasteth), and needeth bread.
28 Son, keep thy soul in mildness (or in meekness), that holdeth due measure, and refraineth (from) excess; and give thou honour to it, after his (or its) merit.
29 Who shall justify him that sinneth against his (own) soul? and who shall honour him that dishonoureth his (own) soul?
30 A poor man hath glory by his learning and dread; and there is a man that is honoured for his chattel [or his substance].
31 Forsooth if a man hath glory in poverty, how much more in chattel [or substance]? and he that hath glory in chattel [or in substance], dread poverty.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble