Ecclesiasticus, 37

1. Any friend will say, 'I am your friend too,' but some friends are friends only in name.

1. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us,

2. Is it not a deadly sorrow when a comrade or a friend turns enemy?

2. and cause the fear of thee to fall upon all the nations.

3. O evil inclination, why were you created, to cover the earth with deceit?

3. Lift up thy hand against foreign nations and let them see thy might.

4. One kind of comrade congratulates a friend in prosperity but in time of trouble appears on the other side.

4. As in us thou hast been sanctified before them, so in them be thou magnified before us;

5. One kind of comrade genuinely feels for a friend and when it comes to a fight, springs to arms.

5. and let them know thee, as we have known that there is not God but thee, O Lord.

6. Do not forget the genuine friend, do not push him out of mind once you are rich.

6. Show signs anew, and work further wonders; make thy hand and thy right arm glorious.

7. Any adviser will offer advice, but some are governed by self-interest.

7. Rouse thy anger and pour out thy wrath; destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy.

8. Beware of someone who offers advice; first find out what he wants himself- since his advice coincides with his own interest -- in case he has designs on you

8. Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time, and let people recount thy mighty deeds.

9. and tells you, 'You are on the right road,' but stands well clear to see what will happen to you.

9. Let him who survives be consumed in the fiery wrath, and may those who harm thy people meet destruction.

10. Do not consult anyone who looks at you askance, conceal your plans from people jealous of you.

10. Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy, who say, "There is no one but ourselves."

11. Do not consult a woman about her rival, or a coward about war, a merchant about prices, or a buyer about selling, anyone mean about gratitude, or anyone selfish about kindness, a lazy fellow about any sort of work, or a casual worker about finishing a job, an idle servant about a major undertaking-- do not rely on these for any advice.

11. Gather all the tribes of Jacob, and give them their inheritance, as at the beginning.

12. But have constant recourse to some devout person, whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments, whose soul matches your own, and who, if you go wrong, will be sympathetic.

12. Have mercy, O Lord, upon the people called by thy name, upon Israel, whom thou hast likened to a first-born son.

13. Finally, stick to the advice your own heart gives you, no one can be truer to you than that;

13. Have pity on the city of thy sanctuary, Jerusalem, the place of thy rest.

14. since a person's soul often gives a clearer warning than seven watchmen perched on a watchtower.

14. Fill Zion with the celebration of thy wondrous deeds, and thy temple with thy glory.

15. And besides all this beg the Most High to guide your steps into the truth.

15. Bear witness to those whom thou didst create in the beginning, and fulfil the prophecies spoken in thy name.

16. Reason should be the basis for every activity, reflection must come before any undertaking.

16. Reward those who wait for thee, and let thy prophets be found trustworthy.

17. Thoughts are rooted in the heart, and this sends out four branches:

17. Hearken, O Lord, to the prayer of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron for thy people, and all who are on the earth will know that thou art the Lord, the God of the ages.

18. good and evil, life and death, and mistress of them always is the tongue.

18. The stomach will take any food, yet one food is better than another.

19. One kind of person is clever at teaching others, yet is no good whatever to himself;

19. As the palate tastes the kinds of game, so an intelligent mind detects false words.

20. another, very eloquent, is detested and ends by starving to death,

20. A perverse mind will cause grief, but a man of experience will pay him back.

21. not having won the favour of the Lord, and being destitute of all wisdom.

21. A woman will accept any man, but one daughter is better than another.

22. Another considers himself wise and proclaims his intellectual conclusions as certainties.

22. A woman's beauty gladdens the countenance, and surpasses every human desire.

23. But the truly wise instructs his people and his intellectual conclusions are certainties.

23. If kindness and humility mark her speech, her husband is not like other men.

24. The wise is showered with blessings, and all who see him will call him happy.

24. He who acquires a wife gets his best possession, a helper fit for him and a pillar of support.

25. Human life lasts a number of days, but the days of Israel are beyond counting.

25. Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered; and where there is no wife, a man will wander about and sigh.

26. The wise will earn confidence among the people, his name will live for ever.

26. For who will trust a nimble robber that skips from city to city? So who will trust a man that has no home, and lodges wherever night finds him?

27. During your life, my child, see what suits your constitution, do not give it what you find disagrees with it;

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28. for not everything is good for everybody, nor does everybody like everything.

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29. Do not be insatiable for any delicacy, do not be greedy for food,

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30. for over-eating leads to illness and excess leads to liver-attacks.

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31. Many people have died from over-eating; control yourself, and so prolong your life.

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