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.

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

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.

Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:

Ne sequaris in fortitudine tua concupiscentiam cordis tui,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Justify alike the small and the great.

Justifica pusillum et magnum similiter.

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