Apocrypha. ECCLESIASTICUS. Apocrypha. 21 The fear of the Lord driveth away | his fear, and was forfaken? or whom did fin: and where it is present, it turneth he ever defpife, that called upon him? away wrath. 22 A furious man cannot be juftified; for the fway of his fury fhall be his deftruction. 23 A patient man will bear for a time, and afterward joy fhall fpring up unto him. 24 He will hide his words for a time, and the lips of many fhall declare his wisdom. 25 The parables of knowledge are in the treasures of wisdom: but godliness is an abomination to a finnet. 26 If thou defire wifdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord fhall give her unto thee. 27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and inftruction: and faith and meekness are his delight. 28 Diftruft not the fear of the Lord when thou art poor: and come not unto him with a double heart. 29 Be not an hypocrite in the fight of men, and take good heed what thou fpeakeft. 30 Exalt not thyfelf, left thou fall, and bring difhonour upon thy foul, and fo God difcover thy fecrets, and caft thee down in the midft of the congregation, because thou cameft not in truth to the fear of the Lord, but thy heart is full of deceit. 2 Set thy heart aright, and conftantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble. 3 Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayeft be increafed at thy laft end. 4 Whatfoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low eftate. 5 For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adverfity. 6 Believe in him, and he will help thee; order thy way aright, and truft in him. 7 Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and go not alide, left ye fall. 8 Ye that fear the Lord, believe him; and your reward fhali not fail. 9 Ye that fear the Lord, hope for good, and for everlasting joy and mercy. To Look at the generations of old, and fee; did ever any truft in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in II For the Lord is full of compaffion and mercy, longfuffering, and very pitiful, and forgiveth fins, and faveth in time of affliction. 12 ¶ Woe be to fearful hearts, and faint hands, and the finner that goeth two ways! 13 Woe unto him that is fainthearted! for he believeth not; therefore shall he not be defended. 14 Woe unto you that have loft patience! and what will ye do when the Lord fhall vifit you? 15 They that fear the Lord will not difobey his word; and they that love him will keep his ways. 16 They that fear the Lord will feek that which is wellpleafing unto him; and they that love him fhall be filled with the law. 17 They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and humble their fouls in his fight, 18 Saying, We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men: for as his majefty is, fo is his mercy. CHAP. III. 2 Children must honour and help both their parents. 21 We may not defire to know all things. Hothereafter, that ye may be fafe. [EAR me your father, O children, and 2 ¶ For the Lord hath given the father honour over the children, and hath confirmed the authority of the mother over the fons. 3 Whofo honoureth his father maketh an atonement for his fins: 4 And he that honoureth his mother is as one that layeth up treasure. 5 Whofo honoureth his father fhall have joy of his own children; and when he maketh his prayer, he fhall be heard. 6 He that honoureth his father fhall have a long life; and he that is obedient unto the Lord fhall be a comfort to his mother. 7 He that feareth the Lord will honour his father, and will do fervice unto his parents, as to his mafters. 8 Honour thy father and mother both in word and deed, that a bleffing may come upon thee from them. 9 For the blefling of the father eftablifheth the houfes of children; but the curfe of the mother rooteth out foundations. To Glory not in the difhonour of thy father; for thy father's difhonour is no glory unto thee. 11 For the glory of a man is from the honour Apocrypha. Chap. iv. honour of his father; and a mother in dishonour is a reproach unto the children. 12 My fon, help thy father in his age, and grieve him not as long as he liveth. 13 And if his understanding fail, have patience with him; and defpife him not when thou art in thy full ftrength. 14 For the relieving of thy father fhall not be forgotten; and instead of fins it fhall be added to build thee up. 15 In the day of thine affliction it fhall be remembered; thy fins alfo shall melt away, as the ice in the fair warın weather. 16 He that forfaketh his father is as a blafphemer; and he that angereth his mother is curfed of God. 17 My fon, go on with thy business in meeknefs; fo fhalt thou be beloved of him that is approved. 18 The greater thou art, the more humble thyfelf, and thou fhalt find favour before the Lord. 19 Many are in high place, and of renown but myfteries are revealed unto the meek. 20 For the power of the Lord is great, and he is honoured of the lowly. 21 ¶ Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee, neither fearch the things that are above thy ftrength. 22 But what is commanded thee, think thereupon with reverence; for it is not needful for thee to fee with thine eyes the things that are in fecret. 23 Be not curious in unneceffary matters: for more things are fhewed unto thee than men understand. 24 For many are deceived by their own vain opinion; and an evil fufpicion hath overthrown their judgment. 25 Without eyes thou fhalt want light profefs not the knowledge therefore that thou haft not. 26 A ftubborn heart fhall fare evil at the laft; and he that loveth danger fhall perith therein. 27 An obftinate heart fhall be laden with forrows; and the wicked man fhall heap fin upon fin. 28 In the punishment of the proud there is no remedy; for the plant of wickednefs hath taken root in him. CHAP. IV. Apocrypha. 1 We may not defpife the poor or fatherless, 21 but feek for wisdom, 20 and not be aflamed of fome things. M Y fon, defraud not the poor of his living, and make not the needy eyes to wait long. 2 Make not a hungry foul. forrowful; neither provoke a man in his distress. 3 Add not more trouble to an heart that is vexed; and defer not to give to him that is in need. 4 Reject not the fupplication of the afflicted; neither turn away thy face from a poor man. 5 Turn not away thine eye from the needy, and give him none occafion to curfe thee: 6 For if he curfe thee in the bitterness of his foul, his prayer fhall be heard of him that made him. 7 Get thyfelf the love of the congre gation, and bow thy head to a great man. 8 Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly anfwer with meeknefs. 9 Deliver him that fuffereth wrong from the hand of the oppreffor; and be not fainthearted when thou fitteft in judgment. 10 Be as a father unto the fatherlefs, and instead of an husband unto their mother: fo fhalt thou be as the fon of the moft High, and he fhall love thee more than thy mother doth. II Wisdom exalteth her children, and layeth hold of them that feek her. 12 He that loveth her loveth life; and they that feek to her early fhall be filled with joy. 13 He that holdeth her faft fhall inherit glory; and wherefoever fhe entereth, the Lord will blefs. 14 They that ferve her fhall minifter to the Holy One; and them that love her the Lord doth love. 15 Whofo giveth ear unto her fhall judge the nations: and he that attendeth unto her fhall dwell fecurely. 16 If a man commit himself unto her, he fhall inherit her; and his generation fhall hold her in poffeffion. 17 For at the firft fhe will walk with 29 The heart of the prudent will un-him by crooked ways, and bring fear derstand a parable; and an attentive ear is the defire of a wife man. 30 Water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh atonement for fins. 31 And he that requiteth good turns is mindful of that which may come hereafter: and when he falleth, he fhall find a ftay. and dread upon him, and torment him with her difcipline, until fhe may trust his foul, and try him by her laws. 8 Then will fhe return the straight way unto him, and comfort him, and fhew him her fecrets. 19 But if he go wrong, fhe will forfake him, and give him over to his own ruin. *F 3 20 Obferve 20 ¶ Observe the opportunity, and beware of evil; and be not ashamed, when it concerneth thy foul. 21 For there is a fhame that bringeth fin and there is a fhame which is glory and grace. 22 Accept no person against thy foul, and let not the reverence of any man caufe thee to fall. 23 And refrain not to fpeak, when there is occafion to do good, and hide not thy wisdom in her beauty. 24 For by fpeech wifdom fhall be known and learning by the word of the tongue. 25 In no wife fpeak against the truth; but be abafhed of the error of thine ignorance. 26 Be not ashamed to confefs thy fins; and force not the course of the river. 27 Make not thyfelf an underling to a foolish man; neither accept the perfon of the mighty. 28 Strive for the truth unto death, and the Lord fhall fight for thee. 29 Be not hafty in thy tongue, and in thy deeds flack and remifs. 30 Be not as a lion in thy house, nor frantick among thy fervants. 31 Let not thine hand be ftretched out to receive, and fhut when thou shouldest repay. CHAP. V. 3 We must not prefume of our wealth, and Strength, 6 nor of the mercy of God, to fin. SET ET not thy heart upon thy goods; and fay not, I have enough for my life. 2 Follow not thine own mind and thy ftrength, to walk in the ways of thy heart: 3 And fay not, Who fhall controul me for my works? for the Lord will furely revenge thy pride. 4 Say not, I have finned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longfuffering, he will in no wife let thee go. 5 Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add fin unto fin: 6 And fay not, His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my fins for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation refteth upon finners. 7 Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for fuddenly fhall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy fecurity thou fhal be deftroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance. 8 Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten; for they fhall not profit thee in the day of calamity. 9 Winnow not with every wind, and Apocrypha. go not into every way: for so doth the finner that hath a double tongue. 10 Be ftedfaft in thy understanding; and let thy word be the fame.. II Be fwift to hear; and let thy life be fincere and with patience give anfwer. 12 If thou haft understanding, anfwer thy neighbour; if not, lay thy hand upon thy mouth. 13 Honour and fhame is in talk: and the tongue of man is his fall. 14 Be not called a whisperer, and lie not in wait with thy tongue : for a foul fhame is upon the thief, and an evil condemnation upon the double tongue. 15 Be not ignorant of any thing in a great matter or a fmall. CHAP. VI. 2 Do not extol thine own conceit, 7 but make choice of a friend. 18 Seek avifdom betimes. NSTEAD of a friend become not an enemy; for [thereby] thou shalt inherit an ill name, fhame, and reproach: even fo fhall a finner that hath à double tonguė. 2 Extol not thyfelf in the counfel of thine own heart; that thy foul be not torn in pieces as a bull [ftraying alone.] 3 Thou shalt eat up thy leaves, and lofe thy fruit, and leave thyfelf as a dry tree. 4 A wicked foul fhall destroy him that hath it, and fhall make him to be laughed to fcorn of his enemies. 5 Sweet language will multiply friends: and a fair speaking tongue will increase kind greetings. 6 Be in peace with many : nevertheless have but one counfellor of a thousand. 7 If thou wouldeft get a friend, prove him firft, and be not hafty to credit him. 8 For fome man is a friend for his own occafion, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble. 9 And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity and ftrife will discover thy reproach. 10 Again, fome friend is a companion at the table, and will not continue in the day of thy affliction. II But in thy profperity he will be as thyfelf, and will be bold over thy fervants. 12 If thou be brought low, he will be against thee, and will hide himself from thy face. 13 Separate thyfelf from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends. 14 A faithful friend is a ftrong defence: and he that hath found fuch an one hath found a treasure. 15 Nothing doth countervail a faithful Apocrypha. Chap. vii. Apocrypha. ful friend, and his excellency is invalu- | establish thine heart, and give thee wif able. dom at thine own defire. 16 A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord shall find him. 17 Whofo feareth the Lord fhall direct his friendship aright: for as he is it fhall his neighbour be alfo. 18 ¶ My fon, gather inftruction from thy youth up: fo fhalt thou find wisdom till thine old age. 19 Come unto her as one that ploweth and foweth, and wait for her good fruits: for thou shalt not toil much in labouring about her, but thou shalt eat of her fruits right foon. 20 She is very unpleasant to the unlearned he that is without understanding will not remain with her. 21 She will lie upon him as a mighty ftone of trial; and he will caft her from him ere it be long. 22 For wisdom is according to her name, and fhe is not manifeft unto many. 23 Give car, my fon, receive my advice, and refufe not my counfel, 24 And put thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chain. 25 Bow down thy fhoulder, and bear her, and be not grieved with her bonds. 26 Come unto her with thy whole heart, and keep her ways with all thy power. 27 Search, and feek, and fhe fhall be made known unto thee: and when thou haft got hold of her, let her not go. 28 For at the laft thou fhalt find her reft, and that fhall be turned to thy joy. 29 Then fhall her fetters be a strong defence for thee, and her chains a robe of glory. 30 For there is a golden ornament upon her, and her bands are purple lace. 31 Thou shalt put her on as a robe of honour, and fhalt put her about thee as a crown of joy. 32 My fon, if thou wilt, thou fhalt be taught and if thou wilt apply thy mind, thou shalt be prudent. CHAP. VII. I We are dehorted from fin, 4 ambition, 8 prefumption, 10 and fainting in prayer. O no evil, fo fhall no harm come unto ter thee. 2 Depart from the unjuft, and iniquity fhall turn away from thee. 3 My fon, fow not upon the furrows of unrighteoufness, and thou shalt not reap them fevenfold. 4¶ Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the feat of honour. 5 Juftify not thyself before the Lord, and boaft not of thy wifdom before the king. 6 Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; left at any time thou fear the perfon of the mighty, and lay a ftumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness. 7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not caft thyfelf down among the people. 8 Bind not one fin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished. 9 Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it. Io Be not fainthearted when thou makeft thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms. II Laugh no man to fcorn in the bitternefs of his foul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth. 12 Devife not a lie againft thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend. 13 Ufe not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good. 14 Ufe not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayeft. 15 Hate not laborious work, neither hufbandry, which the moft High hath ordained. 16 Number not thyfelf among the multitude of finners, but remember that 33 If thou love to hear, thou fhalt re-wrath will not tarry long. ceive understanding and if thou bow thine ear, thou shalt be wife, 34 Stand in the multitude of the elders; and cleave unto him that is wife. 35 Be willing to hear every good difcourfe; and let not the parables of understanding escape thee. 36 And if thou feeft a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto him, and let thy foot wear the steps of his door. 37 Let thy mind be upon the ordinances of the Lord, and meditate continually in his commandments; he shall 17 Humble thy foul greatly for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and and worms. 18 Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Ophir. 19 Forego not a wife and good woman: for her grace is above gold. 20 Whereas thy fervant worketh truly, entreat him not evil, nor the hireling that beftoweth himself wholly for thee. 21 Let thy foul love a good fervant, and defraud him not of liberty. **FA 22 Haft 22 Haft thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee. 23 Haft thou children? inftruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth. 24 Haft thou daughters? have a care of their body, and fhew not thyfelf cheerful toward them. 25 Marry thy daughter, and fo fhalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding. 26 Haft thou a wife after thy mind? forfake her not: but give not thyfelf over to a light woman. 27 Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the forrows of thy mother. 28 Remember that thou waft begotten of them; and how canft thou recompenfe them the things that they have done for thee? 29 Fear the Lord with all thy foul, and reverence his priests. 30 Love him that made thee with all thy ftrength, and forfake not his minifters. 31 Fear the Lord, and honour the priest; and give him his portion, as it is commanded thee; the firstfruits, and the trefpafs offering, and the gift of the fhoulders, and the facrifice of fanctification, and the firftfruits of the holy things, 32 And ftretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy bleffing may be perfected. 33 A gift hath grace in the fight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not. 34 Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn. 35 Be not flow to vifit the fick: for that fhall make thee to be beloved. 36 Whatfoever thou takeft in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amifs. CHAP. VIII. I Whom ave may not firive with, 8 nor de Apocrypha. 6 Difhonour not a man in his old age: for even some of us wax old. 7' Rejoice not over thy greatest enemy being dead, but remember that we die all, 8 ¶ Despise not the difcourfe of the wise, but acquaint thy felf with their proverbs: for of them thou fhalt learn inftruction, and how to serve great men with ease. 9 Mifs not the difcourfe of the elders: for they alfo learned of their fathers, and of them thou fhalt learn underftanding, and to give anfwer as need requireth. to Kindle not the coals of a finner, left thou be burnt with the flame of his fire. II Rife not up [in anger] at the prefence of an injurious perfon, left he lie in wait to entrap thee in thy words. 12 Lend not unto him that is mightier than thyfelf; for if thou lendeft him, count it but loft. 13 Be not furety above thy power: for if thou be furety, take care to pay it. 14 Go not to law with a judge; for they will judge for him according to his honour. 15 Travel not by the way with a bold fellow, left he become grievous unto thee: for he will do according to his own will, and thou shalt perish with him through his folly. 16 Strive not with an angry man, and go not with him into a folitary place: for blood is as nothing in his fight; and where there is no help, he will overthrow thee. 17 Confult not with a fool; for he cannot keep counfel. 18 Do no fecret thing before a ftranger; for thou knoweft not what he will bring forth. 19 Open not thine heart to every man, left he requite thee with a fhrewd turn. CHAP. IX. I We are advised how to use our avives. 3 What avomen to avoid, 10 and not to change an old friend. E not jealous over the wife of thy Spife, 10 nor provoke, 15 nor have to do Bboom, and teach her not an evil avith. TRIVE not with a mighty man, left thou fall into his hands. STRIV 2 Be not at yariance with a rich man, left he overweigh thee: for gold hath deftroyed many, and perverted the hearts of kings. 3 Strive not with a man that is full of tongue, and heap not wood upon his fire. 4 Jeft not with a rude man, left thy ancestors be difgraced. 5 Reproach not a man that turneth from fin, but remember that we are all worthy of punishment. leffon against thyself. 2 Give not thy foul unto a woman to fet her foot upon thy fubftance. 3¶ Meet not with an harlot, left thou fall into her fnares. 4 Ufe not much the company of a woman that is a finger, left thou be taken with her attempts. 5 Gaze not on a maid, that thou fall not by thofe things that are precious in her. 6 Give not thy foul unto harlots, that thou lofe not thine inheritance. 7 Look not round about thee in the streets |