4. Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.

5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away, as an eagle toward heaven.

6. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty

meats:

7. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

8. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. 9. Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10. Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11. For their Redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

12. Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13. Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15. My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;

16. Yea, my reins shall rejoice when thy lips speak right things.

17. Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. 18. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.

20. Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. 23. Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. 24. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. 26. My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27. For an whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. 29. Who hath wo? who hath sorrow?

30. They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine.

31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright:

32. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things:

34. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

1.

CHAP. XXIV.

BE not thou envious against evil men,

neither desire to be with them:

2. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

3. Through wisdom is an house builded, and by understanding it is established;

4. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

6. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war; and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7. Wisdom is too high for a fool; he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

8. He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

9. The thought of foolishness is sin; and the 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

qiz que nination to men.

11. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;

12. If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

13. My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honey-comb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation

shall not be cut off.

15. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting-place:

16. For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth; and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;

18. Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. 19. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:

20. For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put

out.

21. My son, fear thou the LORD and the king; and meddle not with them that are given to change:

22. For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? 23. These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

24. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:

25. But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

26. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.

27. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thy house.

28. Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.

29. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.

30. I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31. And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32. Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

34. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. CHAP XXV.

for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

6. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

7. For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

8. Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself, and discover not a secret to another; 10. Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. 11. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

12. As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him; for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

14. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.

15. By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

16. Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

17. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

18. A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

19. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

20. As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre; so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.

21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. 23. The north wind driveth away rain; so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

24. It is better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman, and in a wide house.

3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

5. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

6. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool, cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

7. The legs of the lame are not equal; so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

8. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling; so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

9. As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard; sois a parable in the mouth of fools. 10. The great God, that formed all things, both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

11. As a dog returneth to his vomit; so a fool returneth to his folly.

12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. 13. The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way, a lion is in the streets.

14. As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.

15. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a

bring forth.

2. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

3. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty: but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.

4. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? 5. Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

7. The full soul loatheth an honey-comb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.

9. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

10. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near, than a brother far off.

11. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproach

eth me.

12. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

13. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

14. He that blesseth his friend with a loud

CHAP. XXIX.

Observations of public and private government. 1. E that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

2. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

3. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.

4. The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

5. A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

6. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.

7. The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

8. Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

9. If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is

no rest.

10. The blood-thirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

11. A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

12. If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.

13. The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes. 14. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever. 15. The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mo

23. A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. 24. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.

25. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

26. Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.

27. An unjust man is an abomination to the just; and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

THE

CHAP. XXX.

1 Agur's confession of faith: 7 The two points of his prayer. 1. HE words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: The man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

5. Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. \ 6. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

7. Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

8. Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me;

9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

10. Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

13. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eye-lids are lifted up.

14. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw-teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

15. The horse-leech hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16. The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire, that saith not, It is enough.