Select Masterpieces of Biblical Literature Part 8

ii

The Mourning for the Fool

Weep for the dead, For light hath failed him; And weep for a fool, For understanding hath failed him:

Weep more sweetly for the dead, Because he hath found rest; But the life of the fool Is worse than death.

Seven days are the days of mourning for the dead: But for a fool and an unG.o.dly man, all the days of his life.

iii

The Two Paths

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many.

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Take fast hold of instruction; Let her not go: Keep her; For she is thy life.

Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men.

Avoid it, Pa.s.s not by it; Turn from it, And pa.s.s on.

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.

iv

The Creator has made Wisdom the Supreme Prize

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; Neither be weary of his reproof: For whom the LORD loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.

For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.

Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens.

By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.

v

Watchfulness of Lips and Heart

Who shall set a watch over my mouth, And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips, That I fall not from it, And that my tongue destroy me not?

O Lord, Father and Master of my life, Abandon me not to their counsel: Suffer me not to fall by them.

Who will set scourges over my thought, And a discipline of wisdom over mine heart?

That they spare me not for mine ignorances, And my heart pa.s.s not by their sins: That mine ignorances be not multiplied, And my sins abound not; And I shall fall before mine adversaries, And mine enemy rejoice over me?

O Lord, Father and G.o.d of my life, Give me not a proud look, And turn away concupiscence from me.

Let not greediness and chambering overtake me, And give me not over to a shameless mind.

vi

Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord

All wisdom cometh from the Lord, And is with him for ever.

The sand of the seas, And the drops of rain, And the days of eternity, who shall number?

The height of the heaven, And the breadth of the earth, and the deep, And wisdom, who shall search them out?

Wisdom hath been created before all things, And the understanding of prudence from everlasting.

To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed?

And who hath known her shrewd counsels?

There is one wise, Greatly to be feared, The Lord sitting upon his throne: He created her, And saw, and numbered her, And poured her out upon all his works.

She is with all flesh according to his gift; And he gave her freely to them that love him.

The fear of the Lord Is glory and exultation, And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing.

The fear of the Lord Shall delight the heart, And shall give gladness, and joy, and length of days.

Whoso feareth the Lord, It shall go well with him at the last, And in the day of his death he shall be blessed.

To fear the Lord Is the beginning of wisdom; And it was created together with the faithful in the womb.

With men she laid an eternal foundation; And with their seed shall she be had in trust.

To fear the Lord Is the fulness of wisdom; And she satiateth men with her fruits.

She shall fill all her house with desirable things, And her garners with her produce.