en_RV1895 - Sir 37 - Ozzuu Bible

¹ [1]Every friend will say, I also am his friend: But there is a friend, which is only a friend in name.

² [2]Is there not a grief in it even unto death, When a companion and friend is turned to enmity?

³ O wicked imagination, whence camest thou rolling in To cover the dry land with deceitfulness?

⁴ There is a companion, which rejoiceth in the gladness of a friend, But [3]in time of affliction will be against him.

⁵ [4]There is a companion, which for the belly's sake laboureth with his friend, In the face of battle will take up the buckler.

⁶ [5]Forget not a friend in thy soul; And be not unmindful of him in thy riches.

⁷ Every counsellor extolleth counsel; But there is that counselleth for himself.

⁸ [6]Let thy soul beware of a counsellor, And know thou before what is his interest (For he will take counsel for himself); Lest he [7]cast the lot upon thee,

⁹ And [8]say unto thee, Thy way is good: And he will stand over against thee, to see what shall befall thee.

¹⁰ Take not counsel with one that looketh askance at thee; And hide thy counsel from such as are jealous of thee.

¹¹ [9] Take not counsel with a woman about her rival; Neither with a coward about war; [10]Nor with a merchant about exchange; [11]Nor with a buyer about selling; Nor with an envious man about thankfulness; Nor with an unmerciful man about kindliness; [12]Nor with a sluggard about any kind of work; Nor with a hireling in thy house about finishing his work; Nor with an idle servant about much business: Give not heed to these in any matter of counsel.

¹² But rather [13]be continually with a godly man, Whom thou shalt have known to be a keeper of the commandments, Who in his soul is as thine own soul, [14]And who will grieve with thee, if thou shalt miscarry.

¹³ And [15]make the counsel of thy heart to stand; For there is none more faithful unto thee than it.

¹⁴ For a man's soul is sometime wont to bring him tidings, More than seven [16]watchmen that sit on high on a watch-tower.

¹⁵ And above all this intreat the Most High, That he may direct thy way in truth.

¹⁶ [17]Let reason be the beginning of every work, And let counsel go before every action.

¹⁷ As a token of the changing of the heart,

¹⁸ four manner of things do rise up, [18]Good and evil, life and death; And [19]that which ruleth over them continually is the tongue.

¹⁹ There is one that is shrewd and the instructor of many, And [20]yet is unprofitable to his own soul.

²⁰ There is one that is subtil in words, and is hated; He shall be destitute of all food:

²¹ For grace was not given him from the Lord; Because he is deprived of all wisdom.

²² There is one that is wise to his own soul; And the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy in the mouth.

²³ [21]A wise man will instruct his own people; And the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy.

²⁴ A wise man shall be filled with blessing; And all they that see him shall call him happy.

²⁵ [22]The life of man is numbered by days; And [23]the days of Israel are innumerable.

²⁶ The wise man [24]shall inherit confidence among his people, And his name shall live for ever.

²⁷ My son, prove thy soul in thy life, And see what is evil for it, and give not that unto it.

²⁸ For [25]all things are not profitable for all men, Neither hath every soul pleasure in every thing.

²⁹ [26]Be not insatiable in any luxury, And [27]be not greedy on the things that thou eatest.

³⁰ [28]For in multitude of meats there shall be disease, And surfeiting shall come nigh unto colic.

³¹ Because of surfeiting have many perished; But he that taketh heed shall prolong his life.