Noli attendere ad possessiones iniquas, et ne dixeris: Est mihi sufficiens vita: nihil enim proderit in tempore vindictæ et obductionis.

Set not thy heart upon unjust possessions, and say not: I have enough to live on: for it shall be of no service in the time of vengeance and darkness.

Wilt thou look round at ill-gotten gains, and tell thyself thou hast enough for all thy needs? Trust me, when vengeance finds thee out, all this shall nothing avail thee.

Ne sequaris in fortitudine tua concupiscentiam cordis tui,

Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:

In manhood’s vigour, do not follow the whim of thy heart,

et ne dixeris: Quomodo potui? aut, Quis me subjiciet propter facta mea? Deus enim vindicans vindicabit.

And say not: How mighty am I? and who shall bring me under for my deeds? for God will surely take revenge.

boasting of thy strength, and asking who will call thee to account for thy doings; God will find a way to punish thee.

Ne dixeris: Peccavi: et quid mihi accidit triste? Altissimus enim est patiens redditor.

Say not: I have sinned, and what harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a patient rewarder.

Nor ever flatter thyself that thou hast sinned and come away scot-free; the eternal justice waits its time.

De propitiatio peccato noli esse sine metu, neque adjicias peccatum super peccatum.

Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:

Ill it were that sin’s pardon should embolden thee to sin afresh.

Et ne dicas: Miseratio Domini magna est, multitudinis peccatorum meorum miserebitur:

And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.

Dost thou tell thyself God’s mercies are great, and he will pardon thy sins for all they are so many?

misericordia enim et ira ab illo cito proximant, et in peccatores respicit ira illius.

For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.

Bethink thee that his vengeance rides swift as his mercy; it is a jealous eye that watches the sinner.

Non tardes converti ad Dominum, et ne differas de die in diem:

Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.

Or wouldst thou make slow work of turning to the Lord, and put it off from day to day?

subito enim veniet ira illius, et in tempore vindictæ disperdet te.

For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.

Swift falls his anger and perilous, when the time for vengeance is ripe.

Noli anxius esse in divitiis injustis: non enim proderunt tibi in die obductionis et vindictæ.

Be not anxious for goods unjustly gotten: for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity and revenge.

And must thy thoughts still dwell on the ill-gotten gains, that shall nothing avail thee when vengeance finds thee out?

Non ventiles te in omnem ventum, et non eas in omnem viam: sic enim omnis peccator probatur in duplici lingua.

Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so is every sinner proved by a double tongue.

Turn not with every wind, nor walk in every way that offers; that sinners do, till their hypocrisy is found out.

Esto firmus in via Domini, et in veritate sensus tui et scientia: et prosequatur te verbum pacis et justitiæ.

Be steadfast in the way of the Lord, and in the truth of thy judgment, and in knowledge, and let the word of peace and justice keep with thee.

Firm let thy feet be set on the path the Lord has chosen for thee; be true to thy own thought and to the knowledge thou hast, and ever let the counsels of peace and justice guide thee on thy way.

Esto mansuetus ad audiendum verbum, ut intelligas, et cum sapientia proferas responsum verum.

Be meek to hear the word, that thou mayst understand: and return a true answer with wisdom.

True answer and wise answer none can give but he who listens patiently, and learns all.

Si est tibi intellectus, responde proximo: sin autem, sit manus tua super os tuum, ne capiaris in verbo indisciplinato, et confundaris.

If thou have understanding, answer thy neighbour: but if not, let thy hand be upon thy mouth, lest thou be surprised in an unskilful word, and be confounded.

If discernment thou hast, give thy neighbour his answer; if none, tongue held is best, or some ill-advised word will shame thee;

Honor et gloria in sermone sensati: lingua vero imprudentis subversio est ipsius.

Honour and glory is in the word of the wise, but the tongue of the fool is his ruin.

speech uttered was ever the wise man’s passport to fame, the fool’s undoing.

Non appelleris susurro, et lingua tua ne capiaris et confundaris:

Be not called a whisperer, and be not taken in thy tongue, and confounded.

Never win the name of back-biter, by thy own tongue entrapped into shame.

super furem enim est confusio et pœnitentia, et denotatio pessima super bilinguem: susurratori autem odium, et inimicitia, et contumelia.

For confusion and repentance is upon a thief, and an evil mark of disgrace upon the double tongued, but to the whisperer hatred, and enmity, and reproach.

A thief must blush and do penance, a hypocrite men will mark and avoid; the back-biter earns indignation and enmity and disgrace all at once.

Justifica pusillum et magnum similiter.

Justify alike the small and the great.

To all alike, high and low, give just award.