flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be
like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but
shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not
inhabited.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD
is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth
out his roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but his
leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought,
neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
* *
*
The New Covenant
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to
the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them
by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD. But
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the LORD; I will put my law in their inward parts, and
in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know
me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:
for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no
more.
WISDOM
WISDOM BREVITIES
The liberal soul shall be made fat:
And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
* *
*
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean:
But much increase is by the strength of the ox.
* *
*
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
* *
*
It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer:
But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
* *
*
The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
* *
*
Boast not thyself of tomorrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
* *
*
As vinegar to the teeth,
And as smoke to the eyes,
So is the sluggard to them that send him.
* *
*
All the brethren of the poor do hate him:
How much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursueth them with words, but they are gone.
* *
*
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a vapour driven to and fro;
They that seek them seek death.
* *
*
As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather,
And as vinegar upon nitre,
So is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
* *
*
Wrath is cruel,
And anger is outrageous:
But who is able to stand before jealousy?
* *
*
The fining pot is for silver,
And the furnace for gold:
And a man is tried by his praise.
* *
*
Transitoriness of Riches
An Epigram
Weary not thyself to be rich;
Cease from thine own wisdom;
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings,
Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
* *
*
Hospitality of the Evil Eye
An Epigram
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
Neither desire thou his dainties;
For as one that reckoneth within himself, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee;
But his heart is not with thee.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,
And lose thy sweet words.
* *
*
A Maxim
My son, if thou comest to serve the Lord,
Prepare thy soul for temptation.
Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time
of calamity. Cleave unto him, and depart not, that thou mayest be
increased at thy latter end. Accept whatsoever is brought upon thee, and
be longsuffering when thou passest into humiliation. For gold is tried
in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Put thy
trust in him, and he will help thee: order thy ways aright, and set thy
hope on him.
* *
*
Three Temperance Maxims
Go not after thy lusts;
And refrain thyself from thine appetites.
If thou give fully to thy soul the delight of her desire, she will make
thee the laughingstock of thine enemies.
Make not merry in much luxury;
Neither be tied to the expense thereof.
Be not made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing, when thou hast
nothing in thy purse. A workman that is a drunkard shall not become
rich.
He that despiseth small things
Shall fall by little and little.
Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that
cleaveth to harlots will be the more reckless. Moths and worms shall
have him to heritage; and a reckless soul shall be taken away.
ESSAYS
i
Wisdom's Way with her Children
Wisdom exalteth her sons, and taketh hold of them that seek her. He that
loveth her loveth life; and they that seek to her early shall be filled
with gladness. He that holdeth her fast shall inherit glory; and where
he entereth, the Lord will bless. They that do her service shall
minister to the Holy One; and them that love her the Lord doth love. He
that giveth ear unto her shall judge the nations; and he that giveth
heed unto her shall dwell securely. If he trust her, he shall inherit
her; and his generations shall have her in possession. For at the first
she will walk with him in crooked ways, and will bring fear and dread
upon him, and torment him with her discipline, until she may trust his
soul, and try him by her judgements: then will she return again the
straight way unto him, and will gladden him, and reveal to him her
secrets. If he go astray, she will forsake him, and give him over to his
fall.
ii
Prosperity and Adversity are from the Lord
There is one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh haste, and is so
much the more behind. There is one that is sluggish, and hath need of
help, lacking in strength, and that aboundeth in poverty; and the eyes
of the Lord looked upon him for good, and he set him up from his low
estate, and lifted up his head; and many marvelled at him. Good things
and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from the Lord. The
gift of the Lord remaineth with the godly, and his good pleasure shall
prosper for ever. There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and
pinching, and this is the portion of his reward: when he saith, I have
found rest, and now will I eat of my goods--yet he knoweth not what time
shall pass, and he shall leave them to others, and die. Be stedfast in
thy covenant, and be conversant therein, and wax old in thy work. Marvel
not at the works of a sinner, but trust the Lord, and abide in thy
labour; for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on the
sudden to make a poor man rich. The blessing of the Lord is in the
reward of the godly; and in an hour that cometh swiftly he maketh his
blessing to flourish. Say not, What use is there of me? And what from
henceforth shall my good things be? Say not, I have sufficient, and
from henceforth what harm shall happen unto me? In the day of good
things there is a forgetfulness of evil things; and in the day of evil
things a man will not remember things that are good. For it is an easy
thing in the sight of the Lord to reward a man in the day of death
according to his ways. The affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulness
of delight; and in the last end of a man is the revelation of his deeds.
Call no man blessed before his death; and a man shall be known in his
children.
iii
Against Gossip
He that is hasty to trust is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall
offend against his own soul. He that maketh merry in his heart shall be
condemned: and he that hateth talk hath the less wickedness. Never
repeat what is told thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse. Whether
it be of friend or foe, tell it not; and unless it is a sin to thee,
reveal it not: for he hath heard thee, and observed thee, and when the
time cometh he will hate thee. Hast thou heard a word? let it die with
thee: be of good courage, it will not burst thee. A fool will travail in
pain with a word, as a woman in labour with a child. As an arrow that
sticketh in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word in a fool's belly.
Reprove a friend: it may be he did it not, and if he did something, that
he may do it no more. Reprove thy neighbour: it may be he said it not,
and if he hath said it, that he may not say it again. Reprove a friend,
for many times there is slander; and trust not every word. There is one
that slippeth, and not from the heart; and who is he that hath not
sinned with his tongue? Reprove thy neighbour before thou threaten him;
and give place to the law of the Most High.
iv
On the Tongue
If thou blow a spark, it shall burn; and if thou spit upon it, it shall
be quenched: and both these shall come out of thy mouth. Curse the
whisperer and double-tongued: for he hath destroyed many that were at
peace. A third person's tongue hath shaken many, and dispersed them from
nation to nation; and it hath pulled down strong cities, and overthrown
the houses of great men. A third person's tongue hath cast out brave
women, and deprived them of their labours. He that hearkeneth unto it
shall not find rest, nor shall he dwell quietly. The stroke of a whip
maketh a mark in the flesh; but the stroke of a tongue will break
bones. Many have fallen by the edge of the sword; yet not so many as
they that have fallen because of the tongue. Happy is he that is
sheltered from it, that hath not passed through the wrath thereof; that
hath not drawn its yoke, and hath not been bound with its bands. For the
yoke thereof is a yoke of iron, and the bands thereof are bands of
brass. The death thereof is an evil death; and Hades were better than
it. It shall not have rule over godly men; and they shall not be burned
in its flame. They that forsake the Lord shall fall into it; and it
shall burn among them, and shall not be quenched: it shall be sent forth
upon them as a lion, and as a leopard it shall destroy them. Look that
thou hedge thy possession about with thorns; bind up thy silver and thy
gold; and make a balance and a weight for thy words; and make a door and
a bar for thy mouth. Take heed lest thou slip therein; lest thou fall
before one that lieth in wait.
v
Choice of Company
Bring not every man into thine house; for many are the plots of the
deceitful man. As a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a
proud man; and as one that is a spy, he looketh upon thy falling. For he
lieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil; and in things
that are praiseworthy he will lay blame. From a spark of fire a heap of
many coals is kindled; and a sinful man lieth in wait for blood. Take
heed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth wicked things; lest haply he
bring upon thee blame for ever. Receive a stranger into thine house, and
he will distract thee with brawls, and estrange thee from thine own.
If thou do good, know to whom thou doest it; and thy good deeds shall
have thanks. Do good to a godly man, and thou shalt find a recompense;
and if not from him, yet from the Most High. There shall no good come to
him that continueth to do evil, nor to him that giveth no alms. Give to
the godly man and help not the sinner. Do good to one that is lowly, and
give not to an ungodly man; keep back his bread, and give it not to him,
lest he overmaster thee thereby; for thou shalt receive twice as much
evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him. For the Most High
also hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance unto the ungodly. Give to
the good man, and help not the sinner.
A man's friend will not be fully tried in prosperity; and his enemy will
not be hidden in adversity. In a man's prosperity his enemies are
grieved; and in his adversity even his friend will be separated from
him. Never trust thine enemy, for like as the brass rusteth, so is his
wickedness: though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good
heed, and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him as one that hath
wiped a mirror, and thou shalt know that he hath not utterly rusted it.
Set him not by thee, lest he overthrow thee and stand in thy place; let
him not sit on thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy seat, and at the
last thou acknowledge my words, and be pricked with my sayings. Who will
pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent? or any that come nigh wild
beasts? Even so who will pity him that goeth to a sinner, and is mingled
with him in his sins? For a while he will abide with thee, and if thou
give way, he will not hold out. And the enemy will speak sweetly with
his lips, and in his heart take counsel how to overthrow thee into a
pit; the enemy will weep with his eyes, and if he find opportunity, he
will not be satiated with blood. If adversity meet thee, thou shalt find
him there before thee; and as though he would help thee, he will trip up
thy heel. He will shake his head, and clap his hands, and whisper much,
and change his countenance.
He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled; and he that hath fellowship
with a proud man shall become like unto him. Take not up a burden above
thy strength; and have no fellowship with one that is mightier and
richer than thyself. What fellowship shall the earthen pot have with the
kettle? this shall smite, and that shall be dashed in pieces. The rich
man doeth a wrong, and he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and
he shall entreat withal. If thou be profitable, he will make
merchandise of thee; and if thou be in want, he will forsake thee. If
thou have substance, he will live with thee; and he will make thee bare,
and will not be sorry. Hath he had need of thee? then he will deceive
thee, and smile upon thee, and give thee hope: he will speak thee fair,
and say, What needest thou? and he will shame thee by his meats, until
he have made thee bare twice or thrice. And at the last he will laugh
thee to scorn; afterward will he see thee, and will forsake thee, and
shake his head at thee. Beware that thou be not deceived, and brought
low in thy mirth. If a mighty man invite thee, be retiring, and so much
the more will he invite thee. Press not upon him, lest thou be thrust
back; and stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten. Affect not to speak
with him as an equal, and believe not his many words: for with much talk
will he try thee, and in a smiling manner will search thee out. He that
keepeth not to himself words spoken is unmerciful; and he will not spare
to hurt and to bind. Keep them to thyself, and take earnest heed, for
thou walkest in peril of thy falling.
Every living creature loveth his like, and every man loveth his
neighbour. All flesh consorteth according to kind, and a man will cleave
to his like. What fellowship shall the wolf have with the lamb? so is
the sinner unto the godly. What peace is there between the hyena and the
dog? and what peace between the rich man and the poor? Wild asses are
the prey of lions in the wilderness; so poor men are pasture for the
rich. Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man; so a poor man is an
abomination to the rich. A rich man when he is shaken is held up of his
friends; but one of low degree being down is thrust away also by his
friends. When a rich man is fallen, there are many helpers; he speaketh
things not to be spoken, and men justify him: a man of low degree
falleth, and men rebuke him withal; he uttereth wisdom, and no place is
allowed him. A rich man speaketh, and all keep silence; and what he
saith they extol to the clouds: a poor man speaketh, and they say, Who
is this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him. Riches are
good that have no sin; and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly.
vi
The Wisdom of Business and the Wisdom of Leisure
The wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he that
hath little business shall become wise. How shall he become wise that
holdeth the plow, that glorieth in the shaft of the goad, that driveth
oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose discourse is of the
stock of bulls? He will set his heart upon turning his furrows; and his
wakefulness is to give his heifers their fodder. So is every artificer
and workmaster, that passeth his time by night as by day; they that cut
gravings of signets, and his diligence is to make great variety; he will
set his heart to preserve likeness in his portraiture, and will be
wakeful to finish his work. So is the smith sitting by the anvil, and
considering the unwrought iron; the vapour of the fire will waste his
flesh, and in the heat of the furnace will he wrestle with his work; the
noise of the hammer will be ever in his ear, and his eyes are upon the
pattern of the vessel; he will set his heart upon perfecting his works,
and he will be wakeful to adorn them perfectly. So is the potter sitting
at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is alway
anxiously set at his work, and all his handywork is by number; he will
fashion the clay with his arm, and will bend its strength in front of
his feet; he will apply his heart to finish the glazing, and he will be
wakeful to make clean the furnace. All these put their trust in their
hands; and each becometh wise in his own work. Without these shall not a
city be inhabited, and men shall not sojourn nor walk up and down
therein. They shall not be sought for in the council of the people, and
in the assembly they shall not mount on high, they shall not sit on the
seat of the judge, and they shall not understand the covenant of
judgement; neither shall they declare instruction and judgement, and
where parables are they shall not be found. But they will maintain the
fabric of the world; and in the handywork of their craft is their
prayer.
Not so he that hath applied his soul, and meditateth in the law of the
Most High. He will seek out the wisdom of all of the ancients, and will
be occupied in prophecies. He will keep the discourse of the men of
renown, and will enter in amidst the subtilties of parables. He will
seek out the hidden meaning of proverbs, and be conversant in the dark
sayings of parables. He will serve among great men, and appear before
him that ruleth. He will travel through the land of strange nations; for
he hath tried good things and evil among men. He will apply his heart to
resort early to the Lord that made him, and will make supplication
before the Most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and will make
supplication for his sins. If the great Lord will, he shall be filled
with the spirit of understanding: he shall pour forth the words of his
wisdom, and in prayer give thanks unto the Lord. He shall direct his
counsel and knowledge, and in his secrets shall he meditate. He shall
shew forth the instruction which he hath been taught, and shall glory in
the law of the covenant of the Lord. Many shall commend his
understanding, and so long as the world endureth, it shall not be
blotted out; his memorial shall not depart, and his name shall live from
generation to generation; nations shall declare his wisdom, and the
congregation shall tell out his praise. If he continue, he shall leave a
greater name than a thousand: and if he die, he addeth thereto.
vii
Life as a Joy shadowed by the Judgment
An Essay with a Sonnet
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to
behold the sun. Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them
all; and remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that
cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine
heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these
things God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow from
thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for youth and the prime of
life are vanity.
The Coming of the Evil Days
Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth:
Or ever the evil days come,
And the years draw nigh,
When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them:
Or ever the sun.
And the light,
And the moon,
And the stars,
Be darkened,
And the clouds return after the rain:
In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble,
And the strong men shall bow themselves,
And the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look out of the windows be darkened,
And the doors shall be shut in the street;
When the sound of the grinding is low,
And one shall rise up at the voice of a bird,
And all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
Yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high.
And terrors shall be in the way;
And the almond tree shall blossom,
And the grasshopper shall be a burden,
And the caperberry shall burst:
Because man goeth to his long home,
And the mourners go about the streets:
Or ever the silver cord be loosed,
Or the golden bowl be broken,
Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the cistern:
And the dust return to the earth,
As it was;
And the spirit return unto God
Who gave it.
SONNETS[5]
[Footnote 5: For the difference of form between the Hebrew and the
modern sonnet see Notes, page 255.]
i
The Sluggard
Go to the ant, thou Sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no chief,
Overseer,
Or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O Sluggard?
When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
"Yet a little sleep,
A little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep"--
So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man!
ii
The Mourning for the Fool
Weep for the dead,
For light hath failed him;
And weep for a fool,
For understanding hath failed him:
Weep more sweetly for the dead,
Because he hath found rest;
But the life of the fool
Is worse than death.
Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead: But for a fool and an
ungodly man, all the days of his life.
iii
The Two Paths
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;
And the years of thy life shall be many.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;
I have led thee in paths of uprightness.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Take fast hold of instruction;
Let her not go:
Keep her;
For she is thy life.
Enter not into the path of the wicked,
And walk not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it,
Pass not by it;
Turn from it,
And pass on.
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief;
And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn,
That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness:
They know not at what they stumble.
iv
The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;
Neither be weary of his reproof:
For whom the LORD loveth he reproveth;
Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
And the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,
And the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies:
And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:
And happy is every one that retaineth her.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding he established the heavens.
By his knowledge the depths were broken up,
And the skies drop down the dew.
v
Watchfulness of Lips and Heart
Who shall set a watch over my mouth,
And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips,
That I fall not from it,
And that my tongue destroy me not?
O Lord, Father and Master of my life,
Abandon me not to their counsel:
Suffer me not to fall by them.
Who will set scourges over my thought,
And a discipline of wisdom over mine heart?
That they spare me not for mine ignorances,
And my heart pass not by their sins:
That mine ignorances be not multiplied,
And my sins abound not;
And I shall fall before mine adversaries,
And mine enemy rejoice over me?
O Lord, Father and God of my life,
Give me not a proud look,
And turn away concupiscence from me.
Let not greediness and chambering overtake me,
And give me not over to a shameless mind.
vi
Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord
All wisdom cometh from the Lord,
And is with him for ever.
The sand of the seas,
And the drops of rain,
And the days of eternity, who shall number?
The height of the heaven,
And the breadth of the earth, and the deep,
And wisdom, who shall search them out?
Wisdom hath been created before all things,
And the understanding of prudence from everlasting.
To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed?
And who hath known her shrewd counsels?
There is one wise,
Greatly to be feared,
The Lord sitting upon his throne:
He created her,
And saw, and numbered her,
And poured her out upon all his works.
She is with all flesh according to his gift;
And he gave her freely to them that love him.
The fear of the Lord
Is glory and exultation,
And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing.