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9 For inquifition fhall be I thought to have it their made into the counfels of the friend, they confumed to ungodly and the found of nought, and made a_covehis words fhall come untonant with it, because they the Lord, for the manifefta- are worthy to take part with tion of his wicked deeds.

10 For the ear of jealousy heareth all things: and the noife of murmurings is not hid.

it.

F

CHAP. II.

OR the ungodly faid, reafoning with themselves, 11 Therefore beware of fhort and tedious, and in the but not aright, Our life is murmuring, which is un- death of a man there is no profitable, and refrain your remedy: neither was there tongue from backbiting; for any man known to have rethere is no word fo fecret, turned from the grave. that thall go for nought: and 2 For we are born at all the mouth that belieth, flay-adventure: and we shall be eth the foul.

12 Seek not death in the error of your life: and pull no: upon yourselves deftruction, with the works of your hands.

13 For God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.

14 For he created all things; that they might have their being: and the generations of the world were healthful: and there is no poison of deftruction in them: nor the kingdom of death upon the earth. 15 For righteoufnefs is

immortal.

16 But ungodly men with their works and words called it to them: for when they

hereafter, as though we had never been: for the breath in our noftrils is as fmoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart:

3 Which being extinguifhed, our body shall be turned into afhes, and our fpirit fhall vanifh as the foft

air.

4 And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man fhall have our works in

remembrance, and our life fhall pafs away as the trace of a cloud, and thall be disperfed as a mift that is driven away with the beams of the fun, and overcome with the heat

thereof..

54། For our time is a very thadow that paffeth away: and after our end, there is

no

no returning for it is faft fealed, fo that no man cometh again.

6 Come on therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are prefent: and let us fpeedily use the creatures like as in youth.

1.7 Let us fill ourfelves with coftly wine and ointments: and let no flower of the fpring pass, by us.

8 Let us crown ourfelves with rofe-buds before they be withered.

the knowledge of God: and he calleth himself the child of the Lord.

14 He was made to reprove our thoughts.

15

He is grievous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion.

16 We are esteemed of him as counterfeits he ab ftaineth from our ways as from filthinefs: he pronounceth the end of the juft to be bleffed, and mak9 Let none of us go with-eth his boaft that God is out his part of our voluptu- his father. oufnefs let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place: for this is our portion, and our lot is this.

10 Let us oppress the poor righteous man, let us

17 Let us fee if his words be true: and let us prove what shall happen in the end

of him.

18 For if the just man be the fon of God, he will help

not fpare the widow, nor re-him, and deliver him from verence the ancient gray hairs of the aged.

II Let our ftrength be the law of justice, for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth.

the hand of his enemies.

19 Let us examine him with defpitefulness and torture, that we may know his meeknefs, and prove his pa

tience.

20 Let us condemn him with a fhameful death: for by his own faying he shall be refpected.

12 Therefore let us lie in wait for the righteous: because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to our doings: he upbraideth 21 Such things they did us with our offending the imagine, and were deceive law, and objecteth to our in-ed: for their own wickfamy the tranfgreffings of our edness hath blinded them. education.

13 He profeffeth to have

22 As for the myfteries of God, they knew them.

not:

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hand of God, and there fhall
no torment touch them.

to their own imaginations, which have neglected the

2 In the fight of the un-righteous, and forfaken the wife they feemed to die: and Lord. their departure is taken for mifery,

3 And their going from us to be utter deftruction: but they are in peace.

II For whofo despiseth wisdom and nurture, he is miferable, and their hope is vain, their labours unfruitful, and their works unpro

4 For though they be pu-fitable.
nifhed in the fight of men:
yet is their hope full of im-
mortality.

5¶ And having been a lit-
tle chaftifed, they fhall be
greatly rewarded: for God
proved them, and found
them worthy for himself.

6 As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt-offer

ing.

12 Their wives are foolifh, and their children wicked.

13 Their offspring is curfed: wherefore bleffed is the barren that is undefiled, which hath not known the finful bed: fhe fhall have fruit in the vifitation of fouls.

14 And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands

7 And in the time of their hath wrought no iniquity,

nor

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umpheth for ever, having gotten the victory, ftriving for undefiled rewards.

3 But the multiplying brood of the ungodly fhall not thrive, nor take deep rooting from baftard flips, nor lay any faft foundation.

4 For though they flourish in branches for a time; yet ftanding not faft, they fhall be fhaken with the wind, and through the force of winds they fhall be rooted out.

5 The imperfect branches fhall be broken off, their fruit unprofitable, not ripe to eat, yea, meet for nothing.

6 For children begotten of unlawful beds, are witneffes of wickedness against their parents in their trial.

7 But though the righteous be prevented with death; yet fhall he be in reft.

8 For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years:

9 But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age.

10 He pleased God, and was beloved of him: so that living amongst finners he was tranflated.

11 Yea, speedily was I

taken

be

taken away, left that wick-carcafe, and a reproach aednefs fhould alter his un-mong the dead for evermore. derstanding, or deceit beguile 19 For he fhall rend them, his foul. and caft them down head12 For the bewitching of long, that they fhall naughtiness doth obfcure fpeechlefs: and he shall shake things that are honeft: and them from the foundation: the wandering of concupi-and they shall be utterly laid fcence doth undermine the wafte, and be in forrow: fimple mind. and their memorial fhall pe

13 He being made perfect in a fhort time, fulfilled a long time.

rith.

20 And when they caft up the accounts of their fins, they fhall come with fear: and their own iniquities fhall

14 For his foul pleafed the Lord therefore hafted he to take him away from a-convince them to their face. mong the wicked.

15 This the people faw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, that his grace and mercy is with his faints, and that he hath refpect unto his

chofen.

16 Thus the righteous that is dead, fhall condemn the ungodly which are living; and youth that is foon perfected, the many years and old age of the unrighteous.

17 For they fhall see the end of the wife, and fhall not understand what God in his counfel hath decreed of him, and to what end, the Lord hath fet him in fafety.

18 They fhall fee him, and defpife him: but God fhall laugh them to fcorn, and they fhall hereafter be a vile

CHAP. V.
HEN fhall the righte-

THE

ous man stand in great boldness, before the face of fuch as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours.

2 When they fee it, they fhall be troubled with terrible fear, and fhall be amazed at the ftrangeness of his falvation, fo far beyond all that they looked for."

3 And they repenting and groaning for anguifh of fpirit, fhall fay within themfelves, This was he whom we had fometimes in derifion, and a proverb of reproach.

4 We fools accounted his life madness; and his end to be without honour.

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