1 | Do not choose to do evil, and evil will not take hold of you. |
2 | Withdraw from the iniquitous, and evil will withdraw from you. |
3 | Son, do not sow evil in the furrows of injustice, and you will not reap them sevenfold. |
4 | Do not seek a role of leadership from the Lord, and do not seek a seat of honor from the king. |
5 | You 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. |
6 | Do 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. |
7 | You should not sin against the multitude of a city, nor should you cast yourself against the people. |
8 | And you should not bind two sins together. For even in one sin, you will not go unpunished. |
9 | Do not be cowardly in your soul. |
10 | You should not be unwilling to beg, nor to give alms. |
11 | You 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." |
12 | You should not ridicule a man in bitterness of soul. For there is One who humbles and who exalts: the all-seeing God. |
13 | Do not love a lie against your brother, nor should you act the same toward your friend. |
14 | Do not be willing to devise a lie of any kind. For the practice of lying is not good. |
15 | Do not choose to be verbose among a multitude of elders, and you should not repeat the words of your prayers. |
16 | You should not hate laborious works, nor the rustic life created by the Most High. |
17 | You should not consider yourself to be among the multitude of the undisciplined. |
18 | Remember wrath. For it will not be delayed. |
19 | Humble your spirit greatly. For the retribution against the flesh of the impious is with fire and worms. |
20 | Do not betray your friend for the sake of money, and you should not spurn your dearest brother for the sake of gold. |
21 | Do 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. |
22 | You should not harm the servant whose works are honest, nor the hired hand who entrusts his life to you. |
23 | Let an understanding servant be loved by you like your own soul. You should not cheat him out of freedom, nor abandon him to destitution. |
24 | Are cattle yours? Tend to them. And if they are useful, let them remain with you. |
25 | Are sons yours? Instruct them, and bow them down from their childhood. |
26 | Are daughters yours? Watch over their bodies. And you should not display a light-hearted attitude toward them. |
27 | Give your daughter in marriage, and give her to an understanding man, and you will be doing a great work. |
28 | If a wife in accord with your soul is yours, you should not reject her. But do not entrust yourself to her who is hateful. |
29 | With your whole heart, honor your father. And you should not forget the complaints of your mother. |
30 | Remember that you would not have been born except through them. And so, give back to them as they also have done for you. |
31 | With all your soul, fear the Lord, and consider his priests to be holy. |
32 | With all your strength, love him who made you, and you should not abandon his ministers. |
33 | Honor God from your whole soul, and confer honor on the priests, and continue to purify yourself with your strength. |
34 | Give 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. |
35 | You should offer to the Lord the gift of your strength, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first-fruits of what is holy. |
36 | And reach out your hand to the poor, so that your atonement and your blessing may be perfected. |
37 | A gift has grace in the sight of all the living, but you should not prohibit grace for the dead. |
38 | You should not fail to console those who are weeping, nor to walk with those who are mourning. |
39 | Do not let yourself be slow to visit the sick. For in this way, you will be confirmed in love. |
40 | In all your works, remember your very end, and so you will not sin, unto eternity. |