1 The words of him that gathereth, of the son spewing. The prophecy which a man spake, with whom God was, and which man was comforted by God dwelling with him, and said,10 Accuse thou not a servant to his lord, lest peradventure he curse thee, and thou fall down.11 A generation that curseth his father, and that blesseth not his mother.12 A generation that seemeth clean to itself, and nevertheless is not washed from his filths.13 A generation whose eyes be high, and the eyelids thereof be raised [up] into high things.14 A generation that hath swords for teeth, and eateth with his cheek teeth; that it eat [the] needy men of [the] earth, and the poor-alls [or the poor] of men.15 The water leach hath two daughters, saying, Bring, bring. Three things be unable to be filled, and the fourth, that saith never, It sufficeth;16 hell; and the mouth of the womb; and the earth that is never filled with water; but fire that saith never, It sufficeth.17 Crows of the strand [or the streams] peck out that eye, that scorneth the father, and that despiseth the child-bearing of his mother; and the young of an eagle eat that eye.18 Three things be hard to me, and utterly I know not the fourth thing;19 the way of an eagle in heaven; the way of a serpent on a stone; the way of a ship in the middle of the sea; and the way of a man in his young waxing age.2 I am the most foolish of men; and the wisdom of men is not with me.20 Such is the way of a woman adulteress, which eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I wrought not evil.21 The earth is moved by three things, and by the fourth thing, which it may not sustain;22 by a servant, when he reigneth; by a fool, when he is filled with meat;23 by an hateful woman, when she is taken in matrimony; and by an handmaid, when she is heir of her lady.24 Four [things] be the least things of [the] earth, and those be wiser than wise men;25 ants, a feeble people, that make ready meat in harvest to themselves;26 a hare, a people unmighty, that setteth his bed in a stone;27 a locust hath no king, and all goeth out by companies;28 a lizard enforceth or endeavoureth with hands, and dwelleth in the houses of kings.29 Three things there be, that go well, and the fourth thing, that goeth richly, either by prosperity.3 I learned not wisdom; and I knew not the knowing of holy men.30 A lion, strongest of beasts, shall not dread, at the meeting of any man;31 a cock, girded [up] the loins; and a ram, and a king, and none there is that shall against-stand him.32 He that appeareth a fool, after that he is raised [up] on high; for if he had understood, he had set his hand on his mouth.33 Forsooth he that thrusteth strongly teats, to draw out milk, thrusteth out butter; and he that smiteth greatly, draweth out blood; and he that stirreth ires, bringeth forth discords.4 Who ascended [or went up] into heaven, and came down? Who held together the spirit or wind in his hands? who bound together waters as in a cloth? Who raised up all the ends of [the] earth? What is the name of him? and what is the name of his son, if thou knowest?5 Each word of God is a shield set afire, to all that hope in him.6 Add thou not anything to the words of him, and thou be reproved, and be found a liar.7 I prayed thee for two things; deny not thou them to me, before that I die.8 Make thou far from me vanity and words of leasing; give thou not to me begging and riches; but give thou only necessaries to my lifelode;9 lest peradventure I be full-filled, and be drawn to deny, and say, Who is the Lord? and lest I be compelled by neediness, and steal, and forswear the name of my God.