The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Ecclesiasticus
|
Chapter 19
|
1
Let him toil as he will, the sot’s purse is empty; little things despise, and little by little thou shalt come to ruin.
2
Wine and women, what a trap for the loyalty of the wise, how hard a test of good sense!
3
He will go from bad to worse, that clings to a harlot’s love; waste and worm shall have him for their prize; one gibbet the more, one living soul the less.
4
Rash heart that lightly trusts shall lose all; forfeit thy own right to live, and none will pity thee.
5
A foul blot it is, to take pride in wrong-doing; a courting of death, to despise reproof; a riddance of much mischief, to forswear chattering.
6
Who forfeits his own right to live, will live to rue it; who loves cruelty, blots his own name.
7
Malicious word if thou hear, or harsh, do not repeat it; never wilt thou be the loser.
8
Speak not out thy own thought for friend and foe to hear alike, nor ever, if thou hast done wrong, discover the secret.
9
He that hears it will be on his guard, and eye thee askance, as if to avert fresh fault of thine; such will be all his demeanour to thee thenceforward.✻
10
Hast thou heard a tale to thy neighbour’s disadvantage? Take it to the grave with thee. Courage, man! it will not burst thee.
11
A fool with a secret labours as with child, and groans till he is delivered of it;
12
out it must come, like an arrow stuck in a man’s thigh, from that reckless heart.
13
Confront thy friend with his fault; it may be he knows nothing of the matter, and can clear himself; if not, there is hope he will amend.
14
Confront him with the word spoken amiss; it may be, he never said it, or if say it he did, never again will he repeat it.
15
Be open with thy friend; tongues will still be clattering,✻
16
and thou dost well to believe less than is told thee. Slips there are of the tongue when mind is innocent;
17
what tongue was ever perfectly guarded? Confront thy neighbour with his fault ere thou quarrellest with him,
18
and let the fear of the most High God do its work.
What is true wisdom? Nothing but the fear of God. And since the fear of God is contained in all true wisdom, it must be directed by his law;
What is true wisdom? Nothing but the fear of God. And since the fear of God is contained in all true wisdom, it must be directed by his law;
19
wisdom is none in following the maxims of impiety, prudence is none in scheming as the wicked scheme.
20
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: strpos(): Offset not contained in string
Filename: models/Vers_model.php
Line Number: 61
Backtrace:
File: /home/baronius/catholicbible.online/application/models/Vers_model.php
Line: 61
Function: strpos
File: /home/baronius/catholicbible.online/application/views/frontend/book.php
Line: 61
Function: get_vers_with_comments
File: /home/baronius/catholicbible.online/application/controllers/Bibles.php
Line: 163
Function: view
File: /home/baronius/catholicbible.online/index.php
Line: 292
Function: require_once
21
Better a simpleton that wit has none, yet knows fear, than a man of great address, that breaks the law of the most High.
22
Exact and adroit even a rogue may be;
23
it is another thing to utter the plain word that tells the whole truth. Here is one that wears the garb of penance for wicked ends, his heart full of guile;
24
here is one that bows and scrapes, and walks with bent head, feigning not to see what is best left unnoticed,
25
and all because he is powerless to do thee a harm; if the chance of villainy comes, he will take it.
26
Yet a man’s looks betray him; a man of good sense will make himself known to thee at first meeting;
27
the clothes he wears, the smile on his lips, his gait, will all make thee acquainted with a man’s character.
28
Reproof there is that no good brings, as the event shews; the mistaken reproof that anger prompts in a quarrel. And a man may shew prudence by holding his tongue.
