from
Deuterocanonical books
of the Roman Catholic
and the Greek and Russian Orthodox
Bible

There were some who pleased God and were loved by him,

and while living among sinners were taken up.

They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding

or guile deceive their souls.

For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,

and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.

Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years;

for their souls were pleasing to the Lord,

therefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.

Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,

or take such a thing to heart,

that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect,

and that he watches over his holy ones.

Watch for the opportune time, and beware of evil,

and do not be ashamed to be yourself.

For there is a shame that leads to sin,

and there is a shame that is glory and fame.

Let those who are friendly with you be many,

but let your advisers be one in a thousand.

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:

whoever finds one has found a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price;

no amount can balance their worth.

Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;

and those who fear the Lord will find them.

Do not sow in the furrows of injustice,

and you will not reap a sevenfold crop.

Call no one happy before his death;

by how he ends, a person becomes known.

A rich person will exploit you if you can be of use to him,

but if you are in need he will abandon you.

It was he who created humankind in the beginning,

and he left them in the power of their own free choice.

If you choose, you can keep the commandments,

and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.

He has placed before you fire and water,

stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.

Before each person are life and death,

and whichever one chooses will be given.

For great is the wisdom of the Lord;

he is mighty in power and sees everything;

his eyes are on those who fear him,

and he knows every human action.

He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,

and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

My child, do not mix reproach with your good deeds,

or spoil your gift by harsh words.

Does not the dew give relief from the scorching heat?

So a word is better than a gift.

Indeed, does not the word surpass a good gift?

Both are to be found in a gracious person.

A fool is ungracious and abusive,

and the gift of a grudging giver makes the eyes dim.

Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind;

and weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind.

Weep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest;

but the life of the fool is worse than death.

Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,

but for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.

Even if you draw your sword against a friend,

do not despair, for there is a way back.

If you open your mouth against your friend,

do not worry, for reconciliation is possible.

But as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow —

in these cases any friend will take to flight.

A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing,

nor is a tradesman innocent of sin.

Many have committed sin for gain,

and those who seek to get rich will avert their eyes.

As a stake is driven firmly into a fissure between stones,

so sin is wedged in between selling and buying.

Whoever betrays secrets destroys confidence,

and will never find a congenial friend.

Love your friend and keep faith with him;

but if you betray his secrets, do not follow after him.

For as a person destroys his enemy,

so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor.

And as you allow a bird to escape from your hand,

so you have let your neighbor go, and will not catch him again.

Do not go after him, for he is too far off,

and has escaped like a gazelle from a snare.

For a wound may be bandaged,

and there is reconciliation after abuse,

but whoever has betrayed secrets is without hope.

If you blow on a spark, it will glow;

if you spit on it, it will be put out;

yet both come out of your mouth.

Curse the gossips and the double-tongued,

for they destroy the peace of many.

Slander has shaken many,

and scattered them from nation to nation;

it has destroyed strong cities,

and overturned the houses of the great.

As you enclose your garden with a thorn hedge,

and lock up your silver and gold,

so weigh your words and measure them,

and make a door and a bolt for your mouth.

Help the poor for the commandment’s sake,

and in their need do not send them away empty-handed.

Lose your silver for the sake of a brother or a friend,

and do not let it rust under a stone and be lost.

Lay up your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High,

and it will profit you more than gold.

As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind,

so is anyone who believes in dreams.

What is seen in dreams is but a reflection,

the likeness of a face looking at itself.

O death, how bitter is the thought of you

to the one at peace among possessions,

who has nothing to worry about and is prosperous in everything,

and still is vigorous enough to enjoy food!

O death, how welcome is your sentence

to one who is needy and failing in strength,

worn down by age and anxious about everything;

to one who is contrary, and has lost all patience!

Do not fear death’s decree for you;

remember those who went before you and those who will come after.

This is the Lord’s decree for all flesh;

why then should you reject the will of the Most High?

Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good;

it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.