Proverbs 18 Cross References - LXX2012

¹ A man who wishes to separate from friends seeks excuses; but at all times he will be liable to reproach. ² A senseless man feels no need of wisdom, for he is rather led by folly. ³ When an ungodly man comes into a depth of evils, he despises [them]; but dishonor and reproach come upon him. ⁴ A word in the heart of a man is a deep water, and a river and fountain of life spring forth. ⁵ [It is] not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor [is it] holy to pervert justice in judgment. ⁶ The lips of a fool bring [him] into troubles, and his bold mouth calls for death. ⁷ A fool's mouth is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul. ⁸ Fear casts down the slothful; and the souls of the effeminate shall hunger. ⁹ A man who helps not himself by his labor is brother of him that ruins himself. ¹⁰ The name of the Lord is of great strength; and the righteous running to it are exalted. ¹¹ The wealth of a rich man is a strong city; and its glory casts a broad shadow. ¹² Before ruin a man's heart is exalted, and before honor it is humble. ¹³ Whoso answers a word before he hears [a cause], it is folly and reproach to him. ¹⁴ A wise servant calms a man's anger; but who can endure a faint-hearted man? ¹⁵ The heart of the sensible [man] purchases discretion; and the ears of the wise seek understanding. ¹⁶ A man's gift enlarges him, and seats him among princes. ¹⁷ A righteous man accuses himself at the beginning of his speech, but when he has entered upon the attack, the adversary is reproved. ¹⁸ A silent [man] quells strifes, and determines between great powers. ¹⁹ A brother helped by a brother is as a strong and high city; and is [as] strong as a [well]-founded palace. ²⁰ A man fills his belly with the fruits of his mouth; and he shall be satisfied with the fruits of his lips. ²¹ Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and they that rule it shall eat the fruits thereof. ²² He that has found a good wife has found favours, and has received gladness from God. [He that puts away a good wife, puts away a good thing, and he that keeps an adulteress is foolish and ungodly.]

¹⁶ And how shall it be surely known, that both I and this people have found favor with you, except only if you go with us? So both I and your people shall be glorified beyond all the nations, as many as are upon the earth.

¹ [My] son, if you will receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with you; ² your ear shall listen to wisdom; you shall also apply your heart to understanding, and shall apply it to the instruction of your son. ³ For it you shall call to wisdom, and utter your voice for understanding; ⁴ and if you shall seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures; ⁵ then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence [come] knowledge and understanding,

¹⁰ [If] a man's mind is intelligent, his soul is sorrowful; and when he rejoices, he has no fellowship with pride.

¹⁴ Rightful rule gives power to words; but sedition and strife precede poverty.

³ [It is] a glory to a man to turn aside from railing; but every fool is entangled with such matters.

²¹ [My] son, fear God and the king; and do not disobey either of them.

¹⁷ As he that lays hold of a dog's tail, so is he that makes himself the champion of another's cause.

⁸ For the way of the Lord is judgment: we have hoped in your name, and on the remembrance [of you], ⁹ which our soul longs for: my spirit seeks you very early in the morning, O God, for your commandments are a light on the earth: learn righteousness, you⌃ that dwell upon the earth.

¹⁷ I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of your power: I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness.

³ speaking to the priests that were in the house of the Lord Almighty, and to the prophets, saying, The holy offering has come in hither in the fifth month, as it has done already many years.

¹⁵ And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says, ¹⁶ hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.

¹ Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of evil men. ² But his pleasure is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he meditate day and night.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and [there is] good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nothing wisdom and instruction.

²² So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.

²³ An understanding man is a throne of wisdom; but the heart of fools shall meet with curses.

¹⁶ Every prudent man acts with knowledge: but the fool displays his own mischief.

¹⁶ Why has the fool wealth? for a senseless man will not be able to purchase wisdom. He that exalts his own house seeks ruin; and he that turns aside from instruction shall fall into mischief.

³ Yes, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.

³⁰ And Saul was exceedingly angry with Jonathan, and said to him, You son of traitorous damsels! for do I not know that you are an accomplice with the son of Jessae to your same, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

⁴ Hear, O our God, for we have become a scorn; and return you their reproach upon their head, and make them a scorn in a land of captivity,

³ verily they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us: ⁴ verily the water would have drowned us, our soul would have gone under the torrent.

² Wherever pride enters, there will be also disgrace: but the mouth of the lowly meditates wisdom.

¹⁰ Cast out a pestilent person from the council, and strife shall go out with him; for when he sits in the council he dishonors all.

¹⁶ When the ungodly abound, sins abound: but when they fall, the righteous are warned.

² They have given the dead bodies of your servants [to be] food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your holy ones for the wild beasts of the earth.

¹¹ [There is] a fountain of life in the hand of a righteous man; but destruction shall cover the mouth of the ungodly.

¹⁴ The law of the wise is fountain of life: but the man void of understanding shall die by a snare.

²² Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil.

⁵ Counsel in a man's heart is deep water; but a prudent man will draw it out.

¹⁵ You shall not act unjustly in judgment: you shall not accept the person of the poor, nor admire the person of the mighty; with justice shall you judge your neighbor.

¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear [causes] between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and [his] brother, and the stranger that is with him. ¹⁷ You shall not have respect to persons in judgment, you shall judge small and great equally; you shall not shrink from before the person of a man, for the judgment is God's; and whatever matter shall be too hard for you, you⌃ shall bring it to me, and I will hear it.

¹⁹ they shall not wrest judgment, nor favor persons, nor receive a gift; for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

⁹ And he said to the messengers of the son of Ader, Say to your master, All things that you have sent to your servant about at first I will do; but this thing I shall not be able to do. And the men departed, and carried back the answer to him. ¹⁰ And the son of Ader sent to him, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for foxes to all the people, even my infantry. ¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Let it be sufficient; let not the humpbacked boast as he that is upright. ¹² And it came to pass when he returned him this answer, he and all the kings with him were drinking in tents: and he said to his servants, Form a trench. And they made a trench against the city. ¹³ And, behold, a prophet came to Achaab king of Israel, and said, Thus says the Lord, Hast you seen this great multitude? behold, I give it this day into your hands; and you shall know that I [am] the Lord. ¹⁴ And Achaab said, Whereby? And he said, Thus says the Lord, by the young men of the heads of the districts. And Achaab said, Who shall begin the battle? and he said, You.

⁷ Do you⌃ not speak before the Lord, and utter deceit before him? ⁸ Or will you⌃ draw back? nay do, you⌃ yourselves be judges.

¹⁹ [Such a one] as would not reverence the face of an honorable man, neither knows how to give honor to the great, so as that their persons should be respected.

² For behold, your enemies have made a noise; and they that hate you have lifted up the head.

¹⁵ He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God.

²³ And this thing I say to you that are wise [for you] to learn: It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

²¹ He that reverences not the persons of the just is not good: such a one will sell a man for a morsel of bread.

²³ who justify the ungodly for rewards, and take away the righteousness of the righteous.

¹⁴ And we have turned judgment back, and righteousness has departed afar off: for truth is consumed in their ways, and they could not pass by a straight [path].

³ they prepare their hands for mischief, the prince asks [a reward], and the judge speaks flattering words; it is the desire of their soul:

¹⁶ A fool declares his wrath the same day; but a prudent man hides his own disgrace.

¹⁰ A bad man does evil with insolence: but they that are judges of themselves are wise.

³ Out of the mouth of fools [comes] a rod of pride; but the lips of the wise preserve them.

¹⁶ A wise man fears, and departs from evil; but the fool trusts in himself, and joins himself with the transgressor.

²⁷ But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips. ²⁸ A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends.

¹⁹ A malicious man shall be severely punished, and if he commit injury, he shall also lose his life.

²⁹ Scourges are preparing for the intemperate, and punishments likewise for fools.

²⁴ Be not companion to a furious man; neither lodge with a passionate man: ²⁵ lest you learn of his ways, and get snares to your soul.

²⁴ [It is] better to dwell on a corner of the roof, than with a railing woman in an open house.

³ A stone is heavy, and sand cumbersome; but a fool's wrath is heavier than both.

⁹ A wise man shall judge nations: but a worthless man being angry laughs and fears not.

³⁵ And it came to pass when he saw her, that he tore his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, you have indeed troubled me, and you were the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against you to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.

²⁴ And Saul committed a great trespass of ignorance in that day, and he lays a curse on the people, saying, Cursed [is] the man who shall eat bread before the evening; so I will avenge myself on my enemy: and none of the people tasted bread, though all the land was dining. ²⁵ And Jaal was a wood abounding in swarms of bees on the face of the ground. ²⁶ And the people went into the place of the bees, and, behold, they continued speaking; and, behold, there was none that put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath of the Lord. ²⁷ And Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people; and he reached forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, an dipped it into the honeycomb, and returned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes recovered their sight. ²⁸ And one of the people answered and said, Your father solemnly adjured the people, saying, Cursed [is] the man who shall eat bread today. And the people were very faint, ²⁹ and Jonathan knew it, and said, My father has destroyed the land: see how my eyes have received sight [now] that I have tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ Surely if the people had this day eaten freely of the spoils of their enemies which they found, the slaughter among the Philistines would have been greater. ³¹ And on that day he struck some of the Philistines in Machmas; and the people were very weary. ³² And the people turned to the spoil; and the people took flocks, and herds, and calves, and killed them on the ground, and the people ate with the blood. ³³ And it was reported to Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord, eating with the blood: and Saul said, Out of Getthaim roll a great stone to me hither. ³⁴ And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them to bring hither every one his calf, and every one his sheep: and let them kill it on this [stone] and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood: and the people brought each one that which was in his hand, and they killed [them] there. ³⁵ And Saul built an altar there to the Lord: this was the first altar that Saul built to the Lord. ³⁶ And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines this night, and let us plunder among them till the day break, and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, Do all that is good in your sight: and the priest said, let us draw near hither to God. ³⁷ And Saul enquired of God, If I go down after the Philistines, will you deliver them into the hands of Israel? And he answered him not in that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, Bring hither all the chiefs of Israel, and know and see by whom this sin has been committed this day. ³⁹ For as the Lord lives who has saved Israel, if answer should be against my son Jonathan, he shall surely die. And there was no one that answered out of all the people. ⁴⁰ And he said to all the men of Israel, You⌃ shall be under subjection, and I an Jonathan my son will be under subjection: and the people said to Saul, Do that which is good in your sight. ⁴¹ And Saul said, O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? [is] the iniquity in me, or in Jonathan my son? Lord God of Israel, give clear [manifestations]; and if [the lot] should declare this, give, I pray you, to your people of Israel, give, I pray, holiness. And Jonathan and Saul are taken, and the people escaped. ⁴² And Saul said, Cast [lots] between me and my son Jonathan: whoever the Lord shall cause to be taken by lot, let him die: and the people said to Saul, This thing is not [to be done]: and Saul prevailed against the people, and they cast [lots] between him and Jonathan his son, and Jonathan is taken by lot. ⁴³ And Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done: and Jonathan told him, and said, I did indeed taste a little honey, with the end of my staff that was in my hand, and, behold! I [am to] die. ⁴⁴ And Saul said to him, God do so to me, and more also, you shall surely die today. ⁴⁵ And the people said to Saul, Shall he that has wrought this great salvation in Israel be put to death this day? [As] the Lord lives, there shall not fall to the ground one of the hairs of his head; for the people of God have wrought successfully this day. And the people prayed for Jonathan in that day, and he died not. ⁴⁶ And Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines departed to their place.

⁸ The nations shall be troubled, and they that inhabit the ends [of the earth] shall be afraid of your signs; you will cause the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice.

⁹ Keep me from the snare which they have set for me, and from the stumbling blocks of them that work iniquity.

² For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.

⁸ A wise man in heart will receive commandments; but he that is unguarded in his lips shall be overthrown in his perverseness.

¹⁴ The wise will hide discretion; but the mouth of the hasty draws near to ruin.

¹³ For the sin of [his] lips a sinner falls into snare; but a righteous man escapes from them. He whose looks are gentle shall be pitied, but he that contends in the gates will afflict souls.

³ He that keeps his own mouth keeps his own life: but he that is hasty with his lips shall bring terror upon himself.

¹¹ If a serpent bite when there is no [charmer's] whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer. ¹² The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up. ¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness. ¹⁴ A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?

¹⁶ You shall not walk deceitfully among your people; you shall not rise up against the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord your God.

² God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that understood, or sought after God.

³ The words of transgressors have overpowered us; but do you pardon our sins. ⁴ Blessed [is he] whom you have chosen and adopted; he shall dwell in your courts; we shall be filled with the good things of your house; your temple is holy.

¹⁸ Some wound as they speak, [like] swords; but the tongues of the wise heal.

²⁸ A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends.

²⁰ With much wood fire increases; but where there is not a double-minded man, strife ceases. ²¹ A hearth for coals, and wood for fire; and railing man for the tumult of strife. ²² The words of cunning knaves are soft; but they strike [even] to the inmost parts of the bowels.

²⁹ I am become a brother of monsters, and a companion of ostriches.

⁴ Poverty brings a man low: but the hands of the vigorous make rich. A son who is instructed shall be wise, and shall use the fool for a servant.

²⁰ Be not a wine-bibber, neither continue long at feasts, and purchases of flesh: ²¹ for every drunkard and whoremonger shall be poor; and every sluggard shall clothe himself with tatters and ragged garments.

³⁰ A foolish man is like a farm, and a senseless man is like a vineyard. ³¹ If you let him alone, he will altogether remain barren and covered with weeds; and he becomes destitute, and his stone walls are broken down. ³² Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction. ³³ [The sluggard says, ]I slumber a little, and I sleep a little, and for a little while I fold my arms across [my] breast. ³⁴ But if you do this, your poverty will come speedily; and your lack like a swift courier.

²⁴ He that casts off father or mother, and thinks he sins not; the same is partaker with an ungodly man.

¹ And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am your God, be well-pleasing before me, and be blameless.

¹¹ Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest haply he should come and strike me, and the mother upon the children.

²⁸ And he said to him, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name; for you have prevailed with God, and shall be mighty with men. ²⁹ And Jacob asked and said, Tell me your name; and he said, Therefore do you ask after my name? and he blessed him there.

¹³ And Moses said to God, Behold, I shall go forth to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of our fathers has sent me to you; and they will ask me, What is his name? What shall I say to them? ¹⁴ And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING; and he said, Thus shall you⌃ say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you. ¹⁵ And God said again to Moses, Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of our fathers, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and my memorial to generations of generations.

³ And I appeared to Abraam and Isaac and Jacob, being their God, but I did not manifest to them my name Lord.

⁵ And the Lord descended in a cloud, and stood near him there, and called by the name of the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord passed by before his face, and proclaimed, The Lord God, pitiful and merciful, longsuffering and very compassionate, and true, ⁷ and keeping justice and mercy for thousands, taking away iniquity, and unrighteousness, and sins; and he will not clear the guilty; bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and to the children's children, to the third and fourth generation.

⁶ And David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each for his sons and his daughters: but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

³ my God; he shall be to me my guard, I will trust in him: [he is] my protector, and the horn of my salvation, my helper, and my sure refuge; you shall save me from the unjust man.

⁴⁵ The strange children feigned [obedience] to me; they listened to me as soon as they heard. ⁴⁶ The strange children shall be cast away, and shall be overthrown out of their hiding places. ⁴⁷ The Lord lives, and blessed [be] my guardian, and my God, my strong keeper, shall be exalted.

⁵¹ He magnifies the salvation of his king, and works mercy for his anointed, even for David and for his seed for ever.

² Day to day utters speech, and night to night proclaims knowledge.

¹ (28) [A Psalm] of David. To you, O Lord, have I cried; my God, be not silent toward me: lest you be silent toward me, and so I should be likened to them that go down to the pit.

³ He sent from heaven and saved me; he gave to reproach them that trampled on me: God has sent forth his mercy and his truth; ⁴ and he has delivered my soul from the midst of [lions']whelps: I lay down to sleep, [though] troubled. [As for] the sons of men, their teeth are arms and [missile] weapons, and their tongue a sharp sword.

³ How long will you⌃ assault a man? you⌃ are all slaughtering as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge. ⁴ They only took counsel to set at nothing mine honor: I ran in thirst: with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause.

² to proclaim your mercy in the morning, and your truth by night,

¹⁴ Then shall they be increased in a fine old age; and they shall be prosperous; that they may declare

² Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name for ever and ever.

⁶ For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him.

⁴ they have trusted with confidence for ever, the great, the eternal God;

¹⁵ Thus says the Most High, who dwells on high for ever, Holy in the holies, is his name, the Most High resting in the holies, and giving patience to the faint-hearted, and giving life to the broken-hearted:

⁶ In his days both Juda shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely: and this is his name, which the Lord shall call him, Josedec among the prophets.

¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength, and he will perfectly strengthen my feet; he mounts me upon high places, that I may conquer by his song.

³¹ For their gods are not as our God, but our enemies [are] void of understanding.

²⁴ If I made gold my treasure, and if too I trusted the precious stone; ²⁵ and if too I rejoiced when my wealth was abundant, and if too I laid my hand on innumerable [treasures]:

⁶ And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge. Pause. ⁷ Hear, my people, and I will speak to you, O Israel: and I will testify to you: I am God, your God. ⁸ I will not reprove you on account of your sacrifices; for your whole burnt offerings are before me continually. ⁹ I will take no bullocks out of your house, nor he-goats out of your flocks.

⁵ or God has scattered the bones of the men-pleasers; they were ashamed, for God despised them. ⁶ Who will bring the salvation of Israel out of Sion? When the Lord turns the captivity of his people, Jacob shall exult, and Israel shall be glad.

¹⁰ They shall be delivered up to the power of the sword; they shall be portions for foxes. ¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that swears by him shall be praised; for the mouth of them that speak unjust things has been stopped.

¹⁵ The wealth of rich men is a strong city; but poverty is the ruin of the ungodly.

⁴ [Possessions will not profit in a day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death. ]

¹² Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and [there is] an advantage [by it] to them that see the sun.

⁶ Therefore I have counted myself vile, and have fainted: and I esteem myself dust and ashes. ⁷ And it came to pass after the Lord had spoken all these words to Job, [that] the Lord said to Eliphaz the Thaemanite, You have sinned, and your two friends: for you⌃ have not said anything true before me, as my servant Job [has]. ⁸ Now then take seven bullocks, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and he shall offer a burnt offering for you. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will only accept him: for but his sake, I would have destroyed you, for you⌃ have not spoken the truth against my servant Job. ⁹ So Eliphaz the Thaemanite, and Baldad the Sauchite, and Sophar the Minaean, went and did as the Lord commanded them: and he pardoned their sin for the sake of Job. ¹⁰ And the Lord prospered Job: and when he prayed also for his friends, he forgave them [their] sin: and the Lord gave Job twice as much, even the double of what he had before. ¹¹ And all his brethren and his sisters heard all that had happened to him, and they came to him, and [so did] all that had known him from the first: and they ate and drank with him, and comforted him, and wondered at all that the Lord had brought upon him: and each one gave him a lamb, and four drachmas' weight of gold, even of unstamped [gold]. ¹² And the Lord blessed the latter end of Job, [more] than the beginning: and his cattle were fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, a thousand she-asses of the pastures. ¹³ And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the first Day, and the second Casia, and the third Amalthaea's horn. ¹⁵ And there were not found in comparison with the daughters of Job, fairer [women] than they in all the world: and their father gave them an inheritance among their brethren. ¹⁶ And Job lived after [his] affliction a hundred and seventy years: and all the years he lived were two hundred and forty: and Job saw his sons and his sons' sons, the fourth generation. ¹⁷ And Job died, an old man and full of days: and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up. This man is described in the Syriac book [as] living in the land of Ausis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia: and his name before was Jobab; and having taken an Arabian wife, he begot a son whose name was Ennon. And he himself was the son of his father Zare, one of the sons of Esau, and of his mother Bosorrha, so that he was the fifth from Abraam. And these were the kings who reigned in Edom, which country he also ruled over: first, Balac, the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dennaba: but after Balac, Jobab, who is called Job, and after him Asom, who was governor out of the country of Thaeman: and after him Adad, the son of Barad, who destroyed Madiam in the plain of Moab; and the name of his city was Gethaim. And [his] friends who came to him were Eliphaz, of the children of Esau, king of the Thaemanites, Baldad sovereign the Sauchaeans, Sophar king of the Minaeans.

³³ The fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom; and the highest honor will correspond therewith.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall.

²³ Pride brings a man low, but the Lord upholds the humble-minded with honor.

⁵ And I said, Woe is me, for I am pricked to the heart; for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen with mine eyes the King, the Lord of hosts. ⁶ And there was sent to me one of the seraphs, and he had in his hand a coal, which he had taken off the altar with the tongs: ⁷ and he touched my mouth, and said, Behold, this has touched your lips, and will take away your iniquities, and will purge off your sins. ⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? And I said, behold, I am [here], send me. And he said, Go, and say to this people, ⁹ You⌃ shall hear indeed, but you⌃ shall not understand; and you⌃ shall see indeed, but you⌃ shall not perceive. ¹⁰ For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. ¹¹ And I said, How long, O Lord? And he said, Until cities be deserted by reason of their not being inhabited, and the houses by reason of there being no men, and the land shall be left desolate. ¹² And after this God shall remove the men far off, and they that are left upon the land shall be multiplied. ¹³ And yet there shall be a tenth upon it, and again it shall be for a spoil, as a turpentine tree, and as an acorn when it falls out of its husk.

⁴⁹ Moreover this was the sin of your sister Sodom, pride: she and her daughters lived in pleasure, in fullness of bread [and] in abundance: this belonged to her and her daughters, and they helped not the hand of the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ And they boasted, and wrought iniquities before me: so I cut them off as I saw [fit].

² And you, son of man, say to the prince of Tyrus, Thus says the Lord; Because your heart has been exalted, and you have said, I am God, I have inhabited the dwelling of God in the heart of the sea; yet you are man and not God, though you have set your heart as the heart of God:

⁹ Will you indeed say, I am God, before them that kill you? whereas you are man, and not God.

²³ And you has been exalted against the Lord God of heaven; and they have brought before you the vessels of his house, and you, and your nobles, and your mistresses, and your concubines, have drunk wine out of them; and you has praised the gods of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone, which see not, and which hear not, and know not: and the God in whose hand are your breath, and all your ways has you not glorified. ²⁴ Therefore from his presence has been sent forth the knuckle of a hand; and he has ordered the writing.

²⁰ And while I was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and bringing my pitiful case before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain;

²³ At the beginning of your supplication the word came forth, and I am come to tell you; for you are a man much beloved: therefore consider the matter, understand the vision.

¹⁴ then you shall enquire and ask, and search diligently, and behold, [if] the thing is clearly true, and this abomination has taken place among you,

⁴ And the king said to Siba, Behold, all Memphibosthe's property [is] your. And Siba did obeisance and said, My lord, O king, let me find grace in your eyes.

²⁴ And Memphibosthe the son of Saul's son went down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, nor pared his nails, nor shaved himself, neither had he washed his garments, from the day that the king departed, until the day when he arrived in peace. ²⁵ And it came to pass when he went into Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why did you not go with me, Memphibosthe? ²⁶ And Memphibosthe said to him, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, Saddle me the ass, and I will ride upon it, and go with the king; for your servant [is] lame. ²⁷ And he has dealt deceitfully with your servant to my lord the king: but my lord the king [is] as an angel of God, and do you that which is good in your eyes. ²⁸ For all the house of my father were but as dead men before my lord the king; yet you have set your servant among them that eat at your table: and what right have I any longer even to cry to the king? ²⁹ And the king said to him, Why speak you any longer of your matters? I have said, You and Siba shall divide the land. ³⁰ And Memphibosthe said to the king, Yes, let him take all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his house.

¹⁰ And the king took off his ring, and gave it into the hands of Aman, to seal the decrees against the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Aman, Keep the silver, and treat the nation as you will. ¹² So the king's recorders were called in the first month, on the thirteenth [day], and they wrote as Aman commanded to the captains and governors in every province, from India even to Ethiopia, to a hundred and twenty-seven provinces; and to the rulers of the nations according to their [several] languages, in the name of king Artaxerxes. ¹³ And [the message] was sent by posts throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy utterly the race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their goods. [And the following is the copy of the letter; The great king Artaxerxes writes thus to the rulers and inferior governors of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia, who hold authority under [him]. Ruling over many nations and having obtained dominion over the whole world, I was minded (not elated by the confidence of power, but ever conducting [myself] with great moderation and gentleness) to make the lives of [my] subjects continually tranquil, desiring both to maintain the kingdom quiet and orderly to [its] utmost limits, and to restore the peace desired by all men. But when I had enquired of my counselors how this should be brought to pass. Aman, who excels in soundness of judgment among us, and has been manifestly well inclined without wavering and with unshaken fidelity, and had obtained the second post in the kingdom, informed us that a certain ill-disposed people is mixed up with all the tribes throughout the world, opposed in their law to every [other] nation, and continually neglecting the commands of the king, so that the united government blamelessly administered by us is not quietly established. Having then conceived that this nation [alone of all others] is continually set in opposition to every man, introducing as a change a foreign code of laws, and injuriously plotting to accomplish the worst of evils against our interests, and against the happy establishment of the monarchy; we signified to you in the letter written by Aman, who is set over [the public] affairs and is our second governor, to destroy them all utterly with their wives and children by the swords of the enemies, without pitying or sparing any, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month Adar, of the present year; that the people aforetime and now ill-disposed [to us] having been violently consigned to death in one day, may hereafter secure to us continually a well constituted and quiet [state of affairs.] ] ¹⁴ And the copies of the letters were published in every province; and an order was given to all the nations to be ready against that day. ¹⁵ And the business was hastened, and [that] at Susa: and the king and Aman began to drink; but the city was troubled.

⁵ And Esther said, If it seem good to you, and I have found favor [in your sight], let an order be sent that the letters sent by Aman may be reversed, that were written for the destruction of the Jews, who are in your kingdom. ⁶ For how shall I be able to look upon the affliction of my people, and how shall I be able to survive the destruction of my kindred? ⁷ And the king said to Esther, If I have given and freely granted you all that was Aman's, and hanged him on a gallows, because he laid his hands upon the Jews, what do you yet further seek? ⁸ Write you⌃ also in my name, as it seems good to you, and seal [it] with my ring: for whatever [orders] are written at the command of the king, and sealed with my ring, it is not lawful to gainsay them. ⁹ So the scribes were called in the first month, which is Nisan, on the three and twentieth day of the same year; and [orders] were written to the Jews, whatever [the king had] commanded to the local governors and chiefs of the satraps, from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven satraps, according to the several provinces, according to their dialects. ¹⁰ And they were written by order of the king, and sealed with his ring, and they sent the letters by the posts: ¹¹ wherein he charged them to use their [own] laws in every city, and to help each other, and to treat their adversaries, and those who attacked them, as they pleased, ¹² on one day in all the kingdom of Artaxerxes, on the thirteenth [day] of the twelfth month, which is Adar. ¹³ And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies. And the following is the copy of the letter of the orders. [The great king Artaxerxes sends greetings to the rulers of provinces [in] a hundred and twenty-seven satrapies, from India to Ethiopia, even to those who are faithful to our interests. Many who have been frequently honored by the most abundant kindness of their benefactors have conceived ambitious designs, and not only endeavor to hurt our subjects, but moreover, not being able to bear prosperity, they also endeavor to plot against their own benefactors. And they not only would utterly abolish gratitude from among men, but also, elated by the boastings of men who are strangers to all that is good, they supposed that they shall escape the sin-hating vengeance of the ever-seeing God. And oftentimes [evil] exhortation has made partakers of the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and has involved in irremediable calamities, many of those who had been appointed to offices of authority, who had been entrusted with the management of their friends' affairs; while [men], by the false sophistry of an evil disposition, have deceived the simple candour of the ruling powers. And it is possible to see [this], not so much from more ancient traditionary accounts, as it is immediately in your power [to see it] by examining what things have been wickedly perpetrated by the baseness of men unworthily holding power. And [it is right] to take heed with regard to the future, that we may maintain the government in undisturbed peace for all men, adopting [needful] changes, and ever judging those cases which come under our notice, with truly equitable decision. For whereas Aman, a Macedonian, the son of Amadathes, in reality an alien from the blood of the Persians, and differing widely from our mild course of government, having been hospitable entertained by us, obtained so large a share of our universal kindness, as to be called our father, and to continue the person next to the royal throne, reverenced of all; [he however], overcome by the pride [of his station], endeavored to deprive us of our dominion, and our life: having by various and subtle artifices demanded for destruction both Mardochaeus our deliverer and perpetual benefactor, and Esther the blameless consort of [our] kingdom, with their whole nation. For by these methods he thought, having surprised us in a defenceless state, to transfer the dominion of the Persians to the Macedonians. But we find that the Jews, who have been consigned to destruction by the most abominable of men, are not malefactors, but living according to the justest laws, and being the sons of the living God, the most high and mighty, who maintains the kingdom. to us as well as to our forefathers, in the most excellent order. You⌃ will therefore do well in refusing to obey the letter sent by Aman the son of Amadathes, because he that has done these things, has been hanged with his whole family at the gates of Susa, Almighty God having swiftly returned to him a worthy recompence, [We enjoin you] then, having openly published a copy of this letter in every place, to give the Jews permission to use their own lawful customs, and to strengthen them, that on the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar, on the self-same day, they may defend themselves against those who attack them in a time of affliction. For in the place of the destruction of the chosen race, Almighty God has granted them this [time of] gladness. Do you⌃ therefore also, among your [notable] feasts, keep a distinct day with all festivity, that both now and hereafter it may be a day of deliverance to us and who are well disposed toward the Persians, but to those that plotted against us a memorial of destruction. And every city and province collectively, which shall not do accordingly, shall be consumed with vengeance by spear and fire: it shall be made not only inaccessible to men, but most hateful to wild beasts and birds for ever.] And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies. ¹⁴ So the horsemen went forth with haste to perform the king's commands; and the ordinance was also published in Susa. ¹⁵ And Mardochaeus went forth robed in the royal apparel, and wearing a golden crown, and a diadem of fine purple linen: and the people in Susa saw [it] and rejoiced. ¹⁶ And the Jews had light and gladness, ¹⁷ in every city and province wherever the ordinance was published: wherever the proclamation took place, the Jews had joy and gladness, feasting and mirth: and many of the Gentiles were circumcised, and became Jews, for fear of the Jews.

¹⁶ I was the father of the helpless; and I searched out the cause which I knew not.

²⁵ It is a snare to a man hastily to consecrate some of his own property: for [in that case] repentance comes after vowing.

⁹ Then king Darius commanded the decree to be written.

¹⁴ Then the king, when he heard the saying, was much grieved for Daniel and he greatly exerted himself for Daniel to deliver him: and he exerted himself till evening to deliver him.

²⁰ So Job arose, and tore his garments, and shaved the hair of his head, and fell on the earth, and worshipped, ²¹ and said, I myself came forth naked from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away: as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord.

⁷ So the devil went out from the Lord, and struck Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head. ⁸ And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city. ⁹ And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long will you hold out, saying, Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? for, behold, your memorial is abolished from the earth, [even your] sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; and you yourself sit down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labors and my pangs which now beset me: but say some word against the Lord, and die. ¹⁰ But he looked on her, and said to her, You have spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.

⁴ For the arrows of the Lord are in my body, whose violence drinks up my blood: whenever I am going to speak, they pierce me.

¹⁴ You scare me with dreams, and do terrify me with visions. ¹⁵ You will separate life from my spirit; and yet [keep] my bones from death.

¹⁵ Or if I should be ungodly, woe is me: and if I should be righteous, I can’t lift myself up, for I am full of dishonor. ¹⁶ For I am hunted like a lion for slaughter; for again you have changed and are terribly destroying me; ¹⁷ renewing against me my torture: and you have dealt with me in great anger, and you have brought trials upon me.

⁹ Pity me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with indignation, my soul and by belly. ¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groanings: my strength has been weakened through poverty, and my bones are troubled.

³ Sing to him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise. ⁴ For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are faithful.

² I was dumb, and humbled myself, and kept silence from good [words]; and my grief was renewed. ³ My heart grew hot within me, and a fire would kindle in my meditation: I spoke with my tongue, ⁴ O Lord, make me to know mine end, and the number of my days, what it is; that I may know what I lack.

³ They shall be afraid, but I will trust in you.

⁵ All the day long they have abominated my words; all their devices [are] against me for evil.

² I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning. ³ All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.

¹⁴ Justice and judgment are the establishment of your throne: mercy and truth shall go before your face. ¹⁵ Blessed is the people that knows the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. ¹⁶ And in your name shall they rejoice all the day: and in your righteousness shall they be exalted.

³ He makes your borders peaceful, and fills you with the flour of wheat.

¹³ When the heart rejoices the countenance is cheerful; but when it is in sorrow, [the countenance] is sad.

²² A glad heart promotes health; but the bones of a sorrowful man dry up.

⁹ You shall give therefore to your servant a heart to hear and to judge your people justly, and to discern between good and evil: for who will be able to judge this your great people?

⁵ For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and man of understanding will gain direction;

⁵ and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.

⁹ Give an opportunity to a wise [man], and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more [instruction].

¹⁴ An upright heart seeks discretion; but the mouth of the uninstructed will experience evils.

²⁰ and you⌃ shall say, Behold your servant Jacob comes after us. For he said, I will propitiate his countenance with the gifts going before his presence, and afterwards I will behold his face, for perhaps he will accept me.

¹⁰ And Jacob said, If I have found grace in your sight, receive the gifts through my hands; therefore have I seen your face, as if any one should see the face of God, and you shall be well-pleased with me.

¹¹ And Israel, their father, said to them, If it be so, do this; take of the fruits of the earth in your vessels, and carry down to the man presents of gum and honey, and frankincense, and stacte, and turpentine, and walnuts.

²⁷ And now accept this token of goodwill, which your servant has brought to my lord, and you shall give it to the servants that wait on my lord.

⁸ Instruction is to them that use it a gracious reward; and wherever it may turn, it shall prosper.

⁶ Many court the favor of kings; but every bad man becomes a reproach to [another] man.

¹⁴ A secret gift calms anger: but he that forbears to give stirs up strong wrath.

¹ And David passed on a little way from Ros; and, behold, Siba the servant of Memphibosthe [came] to meet him; and he had a couple of asses laden, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred [bunches of] raisins, and a hundred [cakes of] dates, and bottle of wine. ² And the king said to Siba, What meanest you by these? and Siba, said, The asses [are] for the household of the king to sit upon, and the loaves and the dates [are] for the young men to eat, and the wine [is] for them that are faint in the wilderness to drink. ³ And the king said, And where [is] the son of your master? and Siba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem; for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.

²⁴ And Memphibosthe the son of Saul's son went down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, nor pared his nails, nor shaved himself, neither had he washed his garments, from the day that the king departed, until the day when he arrived in peace. ²⁵ And it came to pass when he went into Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why did you not go with me, Memphibosthe? ²⁶ And Memphibosthe said to him, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, Saddle me the ass, and I will ride upon it, and go with the king; for your servant [is] lame. ²⁷ And he has dealt deceitfully with your servant to my lord the king: but my lord the king [is] as an angel of God, and do you that which is good in your eyes.

¹³ Whoso answers a word before he hears [a cause], it is folly and reproach to him.

² They inherited according to their lots, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Joshua to the nine tribes and the half tribe, on the other side of Jordan.

²¹ And he brings near the tribe of Benjamin by families, and the family of Mattari is taken by lot: and they bring near the family of Mattari, man by man, and Saul the son of Kis is taken; and he sought him, but he was not found. ²² And Samuel asked yet again of the Lord, Will the man come here? and the Lord said, Behold, he is hid among the stuff. ²³ And he ran and took him thence, and he set him in the midst of the people; and he was higher than all the people by his shoulders and upwards. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, Have you⌃ seen whom the Lord has chosen to himself, that there is none like to him among you all? And all the people took notice, and said, Let the king live! ²⁵ And Samuel told the people the manner of the king, and wrote it in a book, and set it before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, and each went to his place. ²⁶ And Saul departed to his house to Gabaa; and there went with Saul mighty men whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But evil men said, Who [is] this man [that] shall save us? and they despised him, and brought him no gifts.

⁴² And Saul said, Cast [lots] between me and my son Jonathan: whoever the Lord shall cause to be taken by lot, let him die: and the people said to Saul, This thing is not [to be done]: and Saul prevailed against the people, and they cast [lots] between him and Jonathan his son, and Jonathan is taken by lot.

⁶³ And to the sons of Merari according to their families [there were given], by lot, twelve cities of the tribe of Ruben, of the tribe of Gad, [and] of the tribe of Zabulon.

³¹ And they also received lots as their brethren the sons of Aaron before the king; Sadoc also, and Achimelech, and the chiefs of the families of the priests and of the Levites, principal heads of families, even as their younger brethren.

¹ And the chiefs of the people lived in Jerusalem: and the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of [every] ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the [other] cities.

³³ All [evils] come upon the ungodly into [their] bosoms; but all righteous things [come] of the Lord.

⁵ but Cain and his sacrifices he regarded not, and Cain was exceedingly sorrowful and his countenance fell. ⁶ And the Lord God said to Cain, Why are you become very sorrowful and why is your countenance fallen? ⁷ Hast you not sinned if you have brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to you shall be his submission, and you shall rule over him. ⁸ And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go out into the plain; and it came to pass that when they were in the plain Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him.

⁴¹ And Esau was angry with Jacob because of the blessing, with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his mind, Let the days of my father's mourning draw near, that I may kill my brother Jacob. ⁴² And the words of Esau her elder son were reported to Rebecca, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, Esau your brother threatens you to kill you. ⁴³ Now then, my son, hear my voice, and rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia to Laban my brother into Charran. ⁴⁴ And dwell with him certain days, until your brother's anger ⁴⁵ and rage depart from you, and he forget what you have done to him; and I will send and fetch you thence, lest at any time I should be bereaved of you both in one day.

⁶ And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and behold! he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him. ⁷ And Jacob was greatly terrified, and was perplexed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the cows, and the camels, and the sheep, into two camps. ⁸ And Jacob said, If Esau should come to one camp, and strike it, the other camp shall be in safety. ⁹ And Jacob said, God of my father Abraam, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you [are] he that said to me, Depart quickly to the land of your birth, and I will do you good. ¹⁰ Let there be to me a sufficiency of all the justice and all the truth which you have wrought with your servant; for with this my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two camps. ¹¹ Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest haply he should come and strike me, and the mother upon the children.

³ And Jacob loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was to him the son of old age; and he made for him a coat of many colors. ⁴ And his brethren having seen that his father loved him more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak anything peaceful to him. ⁵ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and reported it to his brethren.

¹¹ And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

¹⁸ And they spied him from a distance before he drew near to them, and they wickedly took counsel to kill him. ¹⁹ And each said to his brother, Behold, that dreamer comes. ²⁰ Now then come, let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits; and we will say, An evil wild beast has devoured him; and we shall see what his dreams will be. ²¹ And Ruben having heard it, rescued him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him. ²² And Ruben said to them, Shed not blood; cast him into one of these pits in the wilderness, but do not lay [your] hands upon him; that he might rescue him out of their hands, and restore him to his father. ²³ And it came to pass, when Joseph came to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his many-coloured coat that was upon him. ²⁴ And they took him and cast him into the pit; and the pit was empty, it had not water. ²⁵ And they sat down to eat bread; and having lifted up their eyes they [*]saw, and behold, Ismaelitish travellers came from Galaad, and their camels were heavily loaded with spices, and resin, and myrrh; and they went to bring them to Egypt. ²⁶ And Judas said to his brethren, What profit is it if we kill our brother, and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, let us sell him to these Ismaelites, but let not our hands be upon him, because he is our brother and our flesh; and his brethren listened.

²² And Abessalom spoke not to Amnon, good or bad, because Abessalom hated Amnon, on account of his humbling his sister Themar.

²⁸ And Abessalom charged his servants, saying, Mark when the heart of Amnon shall be merry with wine, and I shall say to you, Strike Amnon, and kill him: fear not; for is it not I that command you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

²³ And king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, [if it be not] that Adonias has spoken this word against his own life. ²⁴ And now [as] the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonias be put to death. ²⁵ So king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he killed him, and Adonias died in that day.

¹⁶ And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them: and the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jessae. Depart, O Israel, to your tents: now feed your own house, David. So Israel departed to his tents.

¹⁷ And Abia and his people struck them with a great slaughter: and there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand mighty men.

¹⁹ An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.

³² A man slow to anger is better than a strong [man]; and he that governs [his] temper better than he that takes a city.

¹³ For the sin of [his] lips a sinner falls into snare; but a righteous man escapes from them. He whose looks are gentle shall be pitied, but he that contends in the gates will afflict souls. ¹⁴ The soul of a man shall be filled with good from the fruits of his mouth; and the recompence of his lips shall be given to him.

² A good [man] shall eat of the fruits of righteousness: but the lives of transgressors shall perish before their time.

¹⁸ that you may know that they are good: and if you lay them to heart, they shall also gladden you on your lips.

²¹ I therefore teach you truth, and knowledge good to hear; that you may answer words of truth to them that question you.

¹¹ [As] a golden apple in a necklace of sardius, so [is it] to speak a [wise] word. ¹² In an ear-ring of gold a precious sardius is also set; [so is] a wise word to an obedient ear.

¹⁹ By a multitude of words you shall not escape sin; but if you refrain your lips you will be prudent. ²⁰ The tongue of the just is tried silver; but the heart of the ungodly shall fail. ²¹ The lips of the righteous know sublime [truths]: but the foolish die in lack.

³¹ The mouth of the righteous drops wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish.

³⁰ Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time.

² A good [man] shall eat of the fruits of righteousness: but the lives of transgressors shall perish before their time. ³ He that keeps his own mouth keeps his own life: but he that is hasty with his lips shall bring terror upon himself.

⁴ A word in the heart of a man is a deep water, and a river and fountain of life spring forth. ⁵ [It is] not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor [is it] holy to pervert justice in judgment. ⁶ The lips of a fool bring [him] into troubles, and his bold mouth calls for death. ⁷ A fool's mouth is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

¹⁹ peace upon peace to them that are far off, and to them that are near: and the Lord has said, I will heal them.

¹⁸ And the Lord God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him.

⁶⁷ And Isaac went into the house of his mother, and took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted for Sarrha his mother.

²⁰ And Jacob served for Rachel seven years, and they were before him as a few days, by reason of his loving her. ²¹ And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.

²⁸ And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her sevens; and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife.

⁴ so shall you find favor: and do you provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men.

¹⁵ Drink waters out of your own vessels, and out of your own springing wells. ¹⁶ Let not waters out of your fountain be spilt by you, but let your waters go into your streets. ¹⁷ Let them be only your own, and let no stranger partake with you. ¹⁸ Let your fountain of water be [truly] your own; and rejoice with the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ Let [your] loving hart and your graceful colt company with you, and let her be considered your own, and be with you at all times; for ravished with her love you shall be greatly increased. ²⁰ Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold yourself in the arms of a woman not your own. ²¹ For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths. ²² Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins. ²³ Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.

³⁵ For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and [in them] is prepared favor from the Lord.

⁴ A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but as a worm in wood, so a bad woman destroys her husband.

¹⁴ Fathers divide house and substance to [their] children: but a wife is suited to a man by the Lord.

¹⁰ Who shall find a virtuous woman? for such a one is more valuable than precious stones. ¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her: such a one shall stand in no need of fine spoils. ¹² For she employs all her living for her husband's good. ¹³ Gathering wool and flax, she makes it serviceable with her hands. ¹⁴ She is like a ship trading from a distance: so she procures her livelihood. ¹⁵ And she rises by night, and gives food to her household, and [appointed] tasks to her maidens. ¹⁶ She views a farm, and buys it: and with the fruit of her hands she plants and a possession. ¹⁷ She strongly girds her loins, and strengthens her arms for work. ¹⁸ And she finds by experience that working is good; and her candle goes not out all night. ¹⁹ She reaches forth her arms to needful [works], and applies her hands to the spindle. ²⁰ And she opens her hands to the needy, and reaches out fruit to the poor. ²¹ Her husband is not anxious about those at home when he tarries anywhere abroad: for all her household are clothed. ²² She makes for her husband clothes of double texture, and garments for herself of fine linen and scarlet. ²³ And her husband becomes a distinguished [person] in the gates, when he sits in council with the old inhabitants of the land. ²⁴ She makes fine linens, and sells girdles to the Chananites: she opens her mouth heedfully and with propriety, and controls her tongue. ²⁵ She puts on strength and honor; and rejoices in the last days. ²⁶ But she opens her mouth wisely, and according to law. ²⁷ The ways of her household are careful, and she eats not the bread of idleness. ²⁸ And [her] kindness to them sets up her children for them, and they grow rich, and her husband praises her. ²⁹ Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but you have exceeded, you have surpassed all. ³⁰ Charms are false, and woman's beauty is vain: for it is a wise woman that is blessed, and let her praise the fear the Lord. ³¹ Give her of the fruit of her lips; and let her husband be praised in the gates.

⁹ And see life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which are given you under the sun: for that is your portion in your life, and in your labor wherein you labor under the sun.

¹² And Jacob retreated into the plain of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and waited for a wife.

⁷ And when Joseph saw his brethren, he knew them, and estranged himself from them, and spoke hard words to them; and said to them, Whence are you⌃ come? And they said, Out of the land of Chanaan, to buy food.

³⁰ The man, the lord of the land, spoke harsh words to us, and put us in prison as spies of the land.

² And Pharao said, Who is he that I should listen to his voice, so that I should send away the children of Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.

⁷ And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers: and she came and stood from morning till evening, and rested not [even] a little in the field.

³⁶ And it shall come to pass that he that survives in your house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of your priest's offices to eat bread.

¹⁰ And Nabal sprang up, and answered the servants of David, and said, Who [is] David? and who [is] the son of Jessae? Now-a-days there is abundance of servants who depart every one from his master.

¹⁷ And now do you consider, and see what you will do; for mischief is determined against our lord and against his house; and he [is] a vile character, and one can’t speak to him.

¹ And one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisaie, saying, Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his servants. ² And Elisaie said, What shall I do for you? tell me what you have in the house. And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house, except oil wherewith I anoint myself.

² For all these things are mine, says the Lord: and to whom will I have respect, but to the humble and meek, and the [man] that trembles [at] my words?

⁴ And Jonathan spoke favorably concerning David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against your servant David, for he has not sinned against you, and his deeds [are] very good. ⁵ And he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance; and all Israel saw, and rejoined: why then do you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?

²⁶ And David came to Sekelac, and sent of the spoils to the elders of Juda, and to his friends, saying, Behold [some] of the spoils of the enemies of the Lord; ²⁷ to those in Baethsur, and to those in Rama of the south, and to those in Gethor. ²⁸ And to those in Aroer, and to those in Ammadi, and to those in Saphi, and to those in Esthie, ²⁹ and to those in Geth, and to those in Cimath, and to those in Saphec, and to those in Themath, and to those in Carmel, and to those in the cities of Jeremeel, and to those in the cities of the Kenezite; ³⁰ and to those in Jerimuth, and to those in Bersabee, and to those in Nombe, ³¹ and to those in Chebron, and to all the places which David and his men had passed through.

²⁶ I am grieved for you, my brother Jonathan; you were very lovely to me; your love to me was wonderful beyond the love of women.

¹ And David said, Is there yet any one left in the house of Saul, that I may deal kindly with him for Jonathan's sake? ² And there was a servant of the house of Saul, and his name was Siba: and they call him to David; and the king said to him, Are you Siba? and he said, I [am] your servant. ³ And the king said, Is there yet a man left of the house of Saul, that I may act towards him with the mercy of God? and Siba said to the king, There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame [of] his feet. ⁴ And the king said, Where [is] he? and Siba said to the king, Behold, [he is] in the house of Machir the son of Amiel of Lodabar. ⁵ And king David went, and took him out of the house of Machir the son Amiel of Lodabar. ⁶ And Memphibosthe the son of Jonathan the son of Saul comes to the king David, and he fell upon his face and did obeisance to him: and David said to him, Memphibosthe: and he said, Behold your servant. ⁷ And David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely deal mercifully with you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul the father of your father; and you shall eat bread at my table continually. ⁸ And Memphibosthe did obeisance, and said, Who am I your servant, that you have looked upon a dead dog like me? ⁹ And the king called Siba the servant of Saul, and said to him, All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to the son of your lord. ¹⁰ And you, and your sons, and your servants, shall till the land for him; and you shall bring in bread to the son of your lord, and he shall eat bread: and Memphibosthe the son of your lord shall eat bread continually at my table. Now Siba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ And Siba said to the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do. And Memphibosthe did eat at the table of David, as one of the sons of the king. ¹² And Memphibosthe had a little son, and his name [was] Micha: and all the household of Siba [were] servants to Memphibosthe. ¹³ And Memphibosthe lived in Jerusalem, for he continually ate at the table of the king; and he was lame in both his feet.

¹⁷ And Abessalom said to Chusi, [Is] this your kindness to your friend? why went you not forth with your friend?

²⁷ And it came to pass when David came to Manaim, that Uesbi the son of Naas of Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, and Machir son of Amiel of Lodabar, and Berzelli the Galaadite of Rogellim, ²⁸ brought ten embroidered beds, (with double coverings,) and ten caldrons, and earthenware, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and meal, and beans, and pulse, ²⁹ and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheeses of kine: and they brought them to David and to his people with him to eat; for [one] said, The people [is] faint and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.

³⁰ And Memphibosthe said to the king, Yes, let him take all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his house. ³¹ And Berzelli the Galaadite came down from Rogellim, and crossed over Jordan with the king, that he might conduct the king over Jordan. ³² And Berzelli was a very old man, eighty years old; and he had maintained the king when he lived in Manaim; for he was a very great man. ³³ And the king said to Berzelli, You shall go over with me, and I will nourish your old age with me in Jerusalem. ³⁴ And Berzelli said to the king, How many [are] the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am this day eighty years old: can I then distinguish between good and evil? Can your servant taste any longer what I eat or drink? can I any longer hear the voice of singing men or singing women? and therefore shall your servant any longer be a burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why does the king return me this recompense? ³⁷ Let, I pray you, your servant remain, and I will die in my city, by the tomb of my father and of my mother. And, behold, your servant Chamaam shall go over with my lord the king; and do you to him as it seems good in your eyes. ³⁸ And the king said, Let Chamaam go over with me, and I will do to him what is good in my sight; and whatever you shall choose at my hand, I will do for you. ³⁹ And all the people went over Jordan, and the king went over; and the king kissed Berzelli, and blessed him; and he returned to his place.

⁷ But the king spared Memphibosthe son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, even between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

³⁸ All these [were] men of war, setting [the army] in battle array, with a peaceful mind [towards him], and they came to Chebron to make David king over all Israel: and the rest of Israel [were of] one mind to make David king. ³⁹ And they were there three days eating and drinking, for their brethren [had] made preparations. ⁴⁰ And their neighbors, as far as Issachar and Zabulon and Nephthali, brought to them upon camels, and asses, and mules, and upon calves, food, meal, cakes of figs, raisins, wine, and oil, calves and sheep abundantly: for [there was] joy in Israel.

¹⁷ Have you a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born.

⁹ The heart delights in ointments and wines and perfumes: but the soul is broken by calamities.