1 Those who fear the Lordwon’t encounter evil,but when they are testedthey will be delivered again and again.
2 Wise people won’t hate the Law,but those who are hypocrites about itare like a boat in a storm.
3 Sensible people will trust the Lord’s word;for them, the Law is as trustworthyas divine oracles.
4 Prepare your speech,and then you will be heard;draw upon your training,and give an answer.
5 The emotions of the foolishare like a wagon wheel,and their arguments are likea turning axle.
6 A friend who mocks is like a stallionthat whinnies underneathanyone who rides him.
7 Why is one day more significantthan another,when all the daylight in a yearis from the sun?
8 The Lord, in his knowledge,classified them,and he distinguished betweendifferent seasons and festivals.
9 He lifted out some daysand made them holy,and some he made regular days.
10 All people come from the ground,and Adam was created out of earth.
11 In the fullness of his knowledgethe Lord made distinctionsbetween them,and he made their ways different.
12 Some of them he blessed and lifted up,and some he made holyand brought them near to himself;some of them he cursed, brought low,and expelled them from their place.
13 Like clay in the potter’s hand,shaped according to thepotter’s pleasure,so are human beingsin the hand of the onewho made them,whom he repays accordingto his judgment.
14 Good is the opposite of evil,and life is the opposite of death;so the sinner is the oppositeof the godly.
15 Observe, then,all the works of the Most High,two by two, one opposite the other.
16 I was the last to keep vigil,as one who gathered the leftoversafter the grape pickers.
17 By the blessing of the Lord,I was first on the scene,and like the grape pickers,I filled up a wine vat.
18 Understand that I haven’t laboredfor myself alone,but for all those who are seeking instruction.
19 Listen to me, you who are greatamong the people;pay attention,you leaders in the congregation.
20 Don’t give son or wife, sibling or friend,authority over you in your lifetime,and don’t give your propertyto someone else,since you might change your mindand ask for it back.
21 While you still liveand have breath in you,don’t exchange places with anyone else.
22 It’s better for your childrento make requests of youthan that you should look to themfor generosity.
23 Excel in everything you do;don’t bring a stain on your reputation.
24 On the last day of your life,at the moment of death,distribute your inheritance.
25 Fodder, a rod, and burdens for donkeys;bread, discipline,and work for household slaves.
26 Set them to work with discipline,and you will have leisure;let their hands be idle,and they will seek freedom.
27 A yoke and a strap will bend a neck,and there are racks and torturesfor a wicked household slave.
28 Put them to work so that they aren’t idle,
29 because idleness teaches many evils.
30 Set them to work, as is proper for them,and if they don’t obey,make their shackles heavy.Don’t overburden a personmade of flesh,and don’t do anythingwithout exercising good judgment.
31 If you have household slaves,treat them like yourself,because you purchased them with blood.If you have household slaves,treat them like siblings,because you will need themas you go through life.
32 If you mistreat them,and they leave and run away,
33 on which road will you search for them?