1 Lo! the king shall reign in rightfulness, and the princes shall be sovereigns in doom.

2 And a man shall be, as he that is hid from [the] wind, and hideth himself from tempest; as streams of waters in thirst, and the shadow of a stone standing far out in a desert land.

3 The eyes of seers, that is, prophets, shall not dim, and the ears of hearers shall hearken diligently;

4 and the heart of fools shall understand knowing, and the tongue of stuttering men shall speak swiftly, and plainly.

5 He that is unwise shall no more be called prince, and a guileful man shall not be called the greater.

6 Forsooth a fool shall speak folly things, and his heart shall do wicked-ness, that he perform feigning, and speak to the Lord guilefully; and he shall make void the soul of an hungry man, and shall take away drink from a thirsty man.

7 The vessels of a guileful man be worst; for he shall make ready thoughts to lose mild men in the word of a lie, when a poor man spake doom.

8 Forsooth a prince shall think those things that be worthy to a prince, and he shall stand over dukes.

9 Rich women, rise ye, and hear my voice; daughters trusting, perceive ye with ears my speech.

10 For why after days and a year, and ye that trust shall be troubled; for why [the] vintage is ended, gathering shall no more come.

11 Ye rich women, be astonied; ye that trust, be troubled; unclothe ye you, and be ye ashamed; gird your loins;

12 wail ye on breasts, on the desirable country, on the plenteous vinery [or vineyard].

13 Thorns and briars shall ascend [or go up] on the earth of my people; how much more on all the houses of joy of the city making full out joy?

14 For why the house is left, the multitude of the city is forsaken; darknesses and groping be made on [the] dens, till into without end. The joy of wild asses is the pasture of flocks;

15 till the spirit be shed [or poured] out on us from on high, and the desert shall be into Carmel, and Carmel shall be areckoned into a forest.

16 And doom shall dwell in wilder-ness, and rightfulness [or rightwiseness] shall sit in Carmel;

17 and the work of rightfulness [or rightwiseness] shall be peace, and the tilth of rightfulness [or rightwiseness]shall be stillness and secureness, till into without end.

18 And my people shall sit in the fairness of peace, and in the tabernacles of trust, and in rich rest.

19 But hail shall be in the coming down of the forest, and by lowness the city shall be made low.

20 Blessed be ye, that sow on all waters, and send in the foot of an ox and of an ass.