1 Blessed is the man, that stood not by the words of his mouth, and was not pricked in the sorrow of trespass.

2 He is blessed, that hath not sorrow of his soul, and falleth not down [or away] from his hope.

3 Chattel, that is, riches, is without reason to a covetous man, and hard niggard; and whereto is gold to an envious man?

4 He that gathereth of his will unjustly, gathereth to other men; and another man shall make waste [or do lechery] in his goods.

5 To what other man shall he be good, which is wicked to himself? [or Who to himself is shrewd, to what other shall he be good?] and he shall not be merry in his goods.

6 Nothing is worse, than he that hath envy [or that envieth] to himself; and this is the yielding of his malice.

7 And if he doeth good, he doeth unwittingly, and not willfully; and at the last he showeth his malice.

8 The eye of an envious man is wicked, and turning away the face, and despising his soul.

9 The eye of the covetous man is never filled [or unfillable]; he shall not be filled into the part of wicked-ness, till he perform unrightfulness [or unrightwiseness], and make dry his soul.

10 An evil eye to evils, and the needy man shall not be filled of [or with] bread; and he shall be in sorrow on his table.

11 Son, if thou hast, do well with thyself, and offer thou worthy offer-ings to God.

12 Be thou mindful that death shall not tarry, and the testament of hells [or of hell], that is, the ordinance of God, of the death of each man, which is showed to thee; for why the testament of this world shall die by death.

13 Before death do thou good [or well] to thy friend, and by thy mights [or strengths] stretch thou forth, and give to a poor man.

14 Be thou not deceived [or be-guiled] of a good day, and a little part of a good day pass not thee.

15 Whether thou shalt not leave to other men thy sorrows, and travails?

16 In the parting of lot give thou, and take, and justify thy soul.

17 Before thy death work thou right-fulness [or rightwiseness]; for at hells [or hell], it is not to find meat.

18 Each man shall wax eld [or old] as hay, and as a leaf bringing fruit in a green tree. Others be engendered, and others be cast [or fall] down; so the generation of flesh and blood, another is ended, and another is born.

19 Each corruptible work shall fail in the end; and he that worketh it, shall go with it. And all [or each] chosen work shall be justified; and he that worketh it, shall be honoured in it.

20 Blessed is the man, that shall dwell in wisdom, and that shall bethink in rightfulness [or rightwise-ness], and shall think in wit the beholding [or the looking about] of God.

21 Which [or Who] thinketh out, either findeth out, the ways of him in his heart, and shall be understanding in the hid things of him;

22 going as a searcher after it, and standing in the ways of it.

23 Which [or Who] beholdeth by the windows thereof, and heareth in the gates thereof;

24 which [or who] resteth nigh the house thereof, and setteth a stake [or a pale] in the walls thereof.

25 He shall set his little house at the hands of him, and goods shall rest in his little house, by enduring of the world;

26 he shall set his sons under the covering thereof, and he shall dwell under the boughs [or branches] thereof;

27 he shall be covered under the covering thereof from heat, and he shall rest in the glory thereof.