प्रवक्ता ग्रन्थ 7

1Do no evils, and no evils shall lay hold of thee.

2Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.

3My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.

4Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.

5Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.

6Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.

7Offend not against the multitude of a city, neither cast thyself in upon the people,

8Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

9Be not fainthearted in thy mind:

10Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.

11Say not: God will have respect to the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept my offerings.

12Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth all.

13Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.

14Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

15Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.

16Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.

17Number not thyself among the multitude of the disorderly.

18Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.

19Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.

20Do not transgress against thy friend deferring money, nor despise thy dear brother for the sake of gold.

21Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou best gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.

22Hurt not the servant that worketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life.

23Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy own soul, defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy.

24Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.

25Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their childhood.

26Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thy countenance gay towards them.

27Marry thy daughter well, and then shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.

28If thou hast a wife according to thy soul, cast her not off: and to her that is hateful, trust not thyself. With thy whole heart,

29Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:

30Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.

31With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests.

32With all thy strength love him that made thee: and forsake not his ministers.

33Honour God with all thy soul, and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.

34Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.

35Offer to the Lord the gift of thy shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things:

36And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.

37A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.

38Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.

39Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.

40In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.

1[Noli facere mala, et non te apprehendent:

2discede ab iniquo, et deficient mala abs te.

3Fili, non semines mala in sulcis injustitiæ, et non metes ea in septuplum.

4Noli quærere a Domino ducatum, neque a rege cathedram honoris.

5Non te justifices ante Deum, quoniam agnitor cordis ipse est: et penes regem noli velle videri sapiens.

6Noli quærere fieri judex, nisi valeas virtute irrumpere iniquitates: ne forte extimescas faciem potentis, et ponas scandalum in æquitate tua.

7Non pecces in multitudinem civitatis, nec te immittas in populum:

8neque alliges duplicia peccata, nec enim in uno eris immunis.

9Noli esse pusillanimis in animo tuo:

10exorare et facere eleemosynam ne despicias.

11Ne dicas: In multitudine munerum meorum respiciet Deus, et offerente me Deo altissimo, munera mea suscipiet.

12Non irrideas hominem in amaritudine animæ: est enim qui humiliat et exaltat circumspector Deus.

13Noli amare mendacium adversus fratrem tuum, neque in amicum similiter facias.

14Noli velle mentiri omne mendacium: assiduitas enim illius non est bona.

15Noli verbosus esse in multitudine presbyterorum, et non iteres verbum in oratione tua.

16Non oderis laboriosa opera, et rusticationem creatam ab Altissimo.

17Non te reputes in multitudine indisciplinatorum.

18Memento iræ, quoniam non tardabit.

19Humilia valde spiritum tuum, quoniam vindicta carnis impii ignis et vermis.]

20[Noli prævaricari in amicum pecuniam differentem, neque fratrem carissimum auro spreveris.

21Noli discedere a muliere sensata et bona, quam sortitus es in timore Domini: gratia enim verecundiæ illius super aurum.

22Non lædas servum in veritate operantem, neque mercenarium dantem animam suam.

23Servus sensatus sit tibi dilectus quasi anima tua: non defraudes illum libertate, neque inopem derelinquas illum.

24Pecora tibi sunt, attende illis: et si sunt utilia, perseverent apud te.

25Filii tibi sunt? erudi illos, et curva illos a pueritia illorum.

26Filiæ tibi sunt? serva corpus illarum, et non ostendas hilarem faciem tuam ad illas.

27Trade filiam, et grande opus feceris: et homini sensato da illam.

28Mulier si est tibi secundum animam tuam, non projicias illam: et odibili non credas te. In toto corde tuo

29honora patrem tuum, et gemitus matris tuæ ne obliviscaris:

30memento quoniam nisi per illos natus non fuisses: et retribue illis, quomodo et illi tibi.]

31[In tota anima tua time Dominum, et sacerdotes illius sanctifica.

32In omni virtute tua dilige eum qui te fecit, et ministros ejus ne derelinquas.

33Honora Deum ex tota anima tua, et honorifica sacerdotes, et propurga te cum brachiis.

34Da illis partem, sicut mandatum est tibi, primitiarum et purgationis, et de negligentia tua purga te cum paucis.

35Datum brachiorum tuorum, et sacrificium sanctificationis offeres Domino, et initia sanctorum.

36Et pauperi porrige manum tuam, ut perficiatur propitiatio et benedictio tua.

37Gratia dati in conspectu omnis viventis, et mortuo non prohibeas gratiam.

38Non desis plorantibus in consolatione, et cum lugentibus ambula.

39Non te pigeat visitare infirmum: ex his enim in dilectione firmaberis.

40In omnibus operibus tuis memorare novissima tua, et in æternum non peccabis.]

1Do not choose to do evil, and evil will not take hold of you.

2Withdraw from the iniquitous, and evil will withdraw from you.

3Son, do not sow evil in the furrows of injustice, and you will not reap them sevenfold.

4Do not seek a role of leadership from the Lord, and do not seek a seat of honor from the king.

5You should not justify yourself before God, for he is the Knower of hearts. And by no means should you wish to seem wise before the king.

6Do not seek to become a judge, unless you have sufficient strength to shatter iniquities. Otherwise, you might fear the face of the powerful, and so establish a scandal within your integrity.

7You should not sin against the multitude of a city, nor should you cast yourself against the people.

8And you should not bind two sins together. For even in one sin, you will not go unpunished.

9Do not be cowardly in your soul.

10You should not be unwilling to beg, nor to give alms.

11You should not say: “God will look with favor on the multitude of my gifts, and when I make an offering to the most high God, he will accept my gift.”

12You should not ridicule a man in bitterness of soul. For there is One who humbles and who exalts: the all-seeing God.

13Do not love a lie against your brother, nor should you act the same toward your friend.

14Do not be willing to devise a lie of any kind. For the practice of lying is not good.

15Do not choose to be verbose among a multitude of elders, and you should not repeat the words of your prayers.

16You should not hate laborious works, nor the rustic life created by the Most High.

17You should not consider yourself to be among the multitude of the undisciplined.

18Remember wrath. For it will not be delayed.

19Humble your spirit greatly. For the retribution against the flesh of the impious is with fire and worms.

20Do not betray your friend for the sake of money, and you should not spurn your dearest brother for the sake of gold.

21Do not choose to depart from a good and understanding wife, whom you have been allotted in the fear of the Lord. For the grace of her modesty is above gold.

22You should not harm the servant whose works are honest, nor the hired hand who entrusts his life to you.

23Let an understanding servant be loved by you like your own soul. You should not cheat him out of freedom, nor abandon him to destitution.

24Are cattle yours? Tend to them. And if they are useful, let them remain with you.

25Are sons yours? Instruct them, and bow them down from their childhood.

26Are daughters yours? Watch over their bodies. And you should not display a light-hearted attitude toward them.

27Give your daughter in marriage, and give her to an understanding man, and you will be doing a great work.

28If a wife in accord with your soul is yours, you should not reject her. But do not entrust yourself to her who is hateful.

29With your whole heart, honor your father. And you should not forget the complaints of your mother.

30Remember that you would not have been born except through them. And so, give back to them as they also have done for you.

31With all your soul, fear the Lord, and consider his priests to be holy.

32With all your strength, love him who made you, and you should not abandon his ministers.

33Honor God from your whole soul, and confer honor on the priests, and continue to purify yourself with your strength.

34Give them their portion, just as it has been commanded of you, from the first-fruits and from the purifications. And for your ignorant offenses, purify yourself with a smaller offering.

35You should offer to the Lord the gift of your strength, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first-fruits of what is holy.

36And reach out your hand to the poor, so that your atonement and your blessing may be perfected.

37A gift has grace in the sight of all the living, but you should not prohibit grace for the dead.

38You should not fail to console those who are weeping, nor to walk with those who are mourning.

39Do not let yourself be slow to visit the sick. For in this way, you will be confirmed in love.

40In all your works, remember your very end, and so you will not sin, unto eternity.