Old/New Testament

3 My son, forget thou not my law; and thine heart keep my commandments.

² For they shall set to thee the length of days, and the years of life, and peace.

³ Mercy and truth forsake thee not; bind thou those to thy throat, and write them in the tables of thine heart. (Let not mercy and truth desert thee; bind thou them about thy neck, and write them on the tablets of thy heart.)

⁴ And thou shalt find grace (And thou shalt receive favour), and good teaching before God and men.

⁵ Have thou trust in the Lord, of all thine heart; and lean thou not to thy prudence. (Have thou trust in the Lord, with all thy heart, and lean thou not unto thy own understanding.)

⁶ In all thy ways think on him, and he shall (ad)dress thy goings. (In all thy ways, or in all thy deeds, think of him, and he shall direct thy steps.)

⁷ Be thou not wise with thyself; dread thou God, and go away from evil. (Do not think thyself wise; but fear God/but revere God, and go thou away from evil.)

⁸ For why health shall be in thy navel, and moisting of thy bones. (For that shall be health for thy body, or thy entrails, and moistening for thy bones.)

⁹ Honour thou the Lord of thy chattel, and of the best of all thy fruits give thou to poor men; (Honour thou the Lord with thy possessions, and with the best of all thy fruits, or of all thy earnings;)

¹⁰ and (then) thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy pressers shall flow with wine (and thy winepresses shall flow with wine).

¹¹ My son, cast thou not away the teaching of the Lord; and fail thou not, when thou art chastised of him (and faint thou not/and spurn thou him not, when thou art disciplined by him).

¹² For the Lord chastiseth him, whom he loveth; and as a father in the son he pleaseth him (yea, like a father to his son who pleaseth him).

¹³ Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and that floweth with prudence. (Blessed is the person who findeth wisdom, and who floweth with understanding.)

¹⁴ The getting thereof is better than the merchandise of gold and of silver; the fruits thereof be the first and the cleanest.

¹⁵ It is more precious than all riches; and all things that be desired, may not be comparisoned to this (and nothing that is desired, can be compared to it).

¹⁶ Length of days is in the right half thereof, and riches and glory be in the left half thereof. (Length of days is in its right hand, and riches and glory be in its left hand.)

¹⁷ The ways thereof be fair ways, and all the paths thereof be peaceable. (Its way be fair ways, and all its paths be peaceful.)

¹⁸ It is a tree of life to them that take (hold of) it; and he that holdeth (onto) it, is blessed.

¹⁹ The Lord founded the earth by (his) wisdom; he stablished (the) heavens by (his) prudence.

²⁰ The depths of waters brake out by his wisdom; and (the) clouds waxed (al)together with dew.

²¹ My son, these things float not away from thine eyes; keep thou my law, and my counsel; (My son, let not these things float away from thine eyes; keep thou my instructions, and my advice, near to thee;)

²² and life shall be to thy soul, and grace to thy cheeks. (and thou shalt have life, and gain favour.)

²³ Then thou shalt go trustily in thy way (Then thou shalt go with trust on thy way); and thy foot shall not stumble.

²⁴ If thou shalt sleep, thou shalt not dread; thou shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be soft [and sweet shall be thy sleep]. (When thou shalt sleep, thou shalt not fear; thou shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be sweet.)

²⁵ Dread thou not of sudden fear, and the powers of wicked men falling in on thee. (Fear thou not sudden disaster, and the power, or the might, of the wicked falling in upon thee.)

²⁶ For the Lord shall be at thy side; and he shall keep thy foot (safe), that thou be not taken.

²⁷ Do not thou forbid to do well him that may; if thou mayest, also do thou well. (Do not thou forbid anyone to do good who can; and if thou be able, thou do good as well.)

²⁸ Say thou not to thy friend, Go, and turn again, and tomorrow I shall give to thee; when thou mayest give anon. (Say thou not to thy friend, Go away, and return tomorrow, and then I shall give you what you need; when thou can give it to him at once.)

²⁹ Imagine thou not evil to thy friend (Imagine thou not evil against thy friend), when he hath trust in thee.

³⁰ Strive thou not against a man without cause, when he doeth none evil to thee. (Do not thou argue with someone for no reason, when he hath done nothing wrong to thee.)

³¹ Follow thou not an unjust man (Do not thou follow a law-breaker), follow thou not his ways.

³² For each deceiver is (an) abomination to the Lord; and his speaking is with simple men (and the Lord speaketh to those who be honest, or have integrity).

³³ Neediness is sent of the Lord in(to) the house of a wicked man; but the dwelling places of just men shall be blessed. (Neediness is sent by the Lord into the houses of the wicked; but the dwelling places of the righteous shall be blessed.)

³⁴ He shall scorn [the] scorners; and he shall give grace to mild men. (He shall mock the mockers; but he shall give favour to the humble, or to the meek.)

³⁵ Wise men shall have glory; [the] enhancing of fools is shame. (The wise shall receive honour; but fools shall only increase their shame.)

4 Sons, hear ye the teaching of your father; and perceive ye (and understand ye), (so) that ye know prudence.

² I shall give to you a good gift; forsake ye not my law. (I give you a good gift; do not ye abandon my instructions.)

³ For why and I was the son of my father, a tender son, and one begotten, before my mother. (For I was my father’s son, a tender son, and my mother’s only child.)

⁴ And my father taught me, and said, Thine heart receive my words; keep thou my behests (obey my commands), and thou shalt live.

⁵ Wield thou wisdom, wield thou prudence; forget thou not, neither bow thou away from the words of my mouth.

⁶ Forsake thou not it, and it shall keep thee (safe); love thou it, and it shall keep thee (safe).

⁷ The beginning of wisdom, wield thou wisdom; and in all thy possession, get thou prudence. (The beginning of wisdom, is that thou first obtain wisdom; and among all thy possessions, of greatest importance is that thou get understanding.)

⁸ Take thou it, and it shall enhance thee; thou shalt be glorified of it, when thou hast embraced it. (Take thou it unto thy heart, and it shall advance thee, or shall promote thee, or raise thee up; thou shalt be honoured, when thou hast embraced it.)

⁹ It shall give increasings of graces to thine head; and a noble crown shall defend thee. (It shall bring many favours upon thee; and they shall adorn thee like a noble crown.)

¹⁰ My son, hear thou, and take my words (to heart); (so) that the years of (thy) life be multiplied to thee.

¹¹ I shall show to thee the way of wisdom; and I shall lead thee by the paths of equity (and I shall lead thee on the fair ways).

¹² Into which when thou hast entered, thy goings shall not be made strait; and thou shalt run, and shalt not have hurting (and thou shalt not be caused to stumble).

¹³ Hold thou (fast to my) teaching, and forsake [thou] it not; keep thou it (near), for it is thy life.

¹⁴ Delight thou not in the paths of wicked men; and the way of evil men please not thee. (Delight thou not in the paths of the wicked; and do not let the ways of evil people please thee.)

¹⁵ Flee thou from it, and pass thou not thereby; bow thou away, and forsake it.

¹⁶ For they sleep not, no but they have done evil; and sleep is ravished from them, no but they have deceived simple men. (For they do not sleep, unless first they have done some evil; and sleep is taken from them, unless first they have deceived those who be honest, or have integrity.)

¹⁷ They eat the bread of unpiety, and drink the wine of wickedness. (They eat evil bread, and drink wicked wine.)

¹⁸ But the path of just men goeth forth as light shining (But the path of the righteous goeth forth like a shining light), and increaseth till to perfect day.

¹⁹ The way of wicked men is dark (The way of the wicked is dark); they know not where, (or when,) they shall fall.

²⁰ My son, harken thou (to) my words; and bow down thine ears to my speeches.

²¹ Go not they away from thine eyes (Let them not go away from thine eyes); keep thou them in the middle of thine heart.

²² For those be life to men finding those, and health of all flesh. (For they be life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.)

²³ With all (safe) keeping keep thine heart (safe), for life cometh forth of it (for life cometh forth from it).

²⁴ Remove thou a shrewd mouth from thee (Do not thou speak depraved things); and backbiting lips be far from thee.

²⁵ Thine eyes see rightful things; and thine eyelids go before thy steps.

²⁶ (Ad)dress thou [the] paths to thy feet (Direct thou the steps of thy feet), and all thy ways shall be stablished.

²⁷ Bow thou not to the right side, neither to the left side; turn away thy foot from evil.

5 My son, perceive thou my wisdom, and bow down thine ear to my prudence; (My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and listen to my understanding of things;)

² (so) that thou keep thy thoughts (proper), and thy lips keep teaching (and thy lips speak knowingly).

³ Give thou not attention to the falseness of a woman; for the lips of an whore be an honeycomb dropping (for a whore’s lips be like a dripping honeycomb), and her throat is clearer than oil;

⁴ but the last things [of her] be (as) bitter as wormwood, and her tongue is (as) sharp as a sword carving, (or cutting,) on each side.

⁵ Her feet go down into death; and her steps pierce to hells. (Her feet go downward unto death; and her steps shall lead thee unto Sheol, or the land of the dead/and her steps shall lead thee to hell.)

⁶ Those go not by the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and may not be sought out. (They do not go on the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and should not be followed.)

⁷ Now therefore, my son, hear thou me (And so now, my son, listen to me), and go thou not away from the words of my mouth.

⁸ Make far thy way from her (Make thy way far away from her), and nigh thou not to the doors of her house.

⁹ Give thou not thine honour to aliens (Give thou not thy honour to strangers), and thy years to the cruel;

¹⁰ lest peradventure strangers be filled with thy strengths, and lest (the rewards of) thy travails be in an alien’s house; (lest perhaps strangers take all thy wealth, and the rewards of all thy efforts be in someone else’s house;)

¹¹ and thou bewail in the last days, when thou hast wasted thy flesh, and thy body;

¹² and say, Why loathed I teaching, and mine heart assented not to blamings; (and thou say, Why did I loathe discipline, and why did I not listen to rebukes;)

¹³ neither I heard the voice of men teaching me, and I bowed not down mine ear to masters?

¹⁴ Almost I was in all-evil, in the midst of the church, and of the synagogue. (I was almost uniformly despised, in the midst of the congregation, and among those in the assembly.)

¹⁵ Drink thou water of thy cistern, and the floods of thy well. (Drink thou water from thy own cistern, and out-flowings from thy own well.)

¹⁶ Thy wells be streamed forth; and part thy waters in streets. (Let thy well floweth forth; and let thy water be parted in the streets.)

¹⁷ Have thou alone them; and aliens be not thy partners. (Have thou them alone; and let not strangers be thy partners.)

¹⁸ Thy vein be blessed (Let thy fountain be blessed); and be thou glad with the woman of thy young waxing age.

¹⁹ An hind most dearworthy; and an hart calf most acceptable. Her teats fill thee in all time; and delight thou continually in the love of her. (She is like a most dearworthy deer; and a most acceptable hart calf. Let her breasts fulfill, or satisfy, thee at all times; and delight thou continually in her love.)

²⁰ My son, why art thou deceived of an alien woman; and art fostered in the bosom of another? (My son, why art thou deceived by a strange, or an unknown, woman; and why art thou comforted in the bosom of another?)

²¹ The Lord seeth the way(s) of a man; and he beholdeth all his steps.

²² The wickednesses of a wicked man take (hold of) him; and he is bound with the ropes of his sins.

²³ He shall die, for he had not learning (He shall die, for he had no discipline); and he shall be deceived in the muchliness of his folly.

1 Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy, brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all saints that be in all Achaia,

² grace to you, and peace of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies, and God of all comfort,

⁴ which comforteth us in all our tribulation, that also we be able to comfort them, that be in all dis-ease, by the admonishing by which also we be admonished of God [that and we may comfort them, that be in all pressure, or overlaying, by the exhortation, or admonishing, by which and we be admonished of God].

⁵ For as the passions of Christ be plenteous in us, so also by Christ our comfort is plenteous.

⁶ And whether we be in tribulation, for your tribulation and health, either we be comforted, for your comfort^[a], either we be admonished, for your admonishing and health. Which worketh in you the suffering of the same passions, which also we suffer,

⁷ that our hope be firm for you; witting for as ye be fellows of passions, so ye shall be also of comfort.

⁸ For, brethren, we will that ye know of our tribulation, that was done in Asia; for over measure we were grieved over might, so that it distressed us, yea, to live.^[b]

⁹ But we in us selves had answer of death, that we trust not in us, but in God that raiseth dead men. [But we ourselves in ourselves had answer, or certainty, of death, that we be not trusting in ourselves, but in God that raiseth dead men.]

¹⁰ Which delivered us, and delivereth from so great perils, into whom we hope, also yet he shall deliver,

¹¹ while also ye help in prayer for us [helping and you in prayer for us]; that of the persons of many faces of that giving that is in us, thankings be done for us by many men to God [by many partners, graces, or thanks, be done to God for us].

¹² For our glory is this, the witnessing of our conscience, that in simpleness and cleanness of God, and not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God, we lived in this world, but more plenteously to you.

¹³ And we write not other things to you, than those that ye have read and know, and I hope that into the end ye shall know,

¹⁴ as also ye have known us a part [as and ye have known us of part]; for we be your glory, as also ye be ours in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ And in this trusting I would first come to you, that ye should have the second grace,

¹⁶ and pass by you into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia come to you, and of you be led into Judaea.

¹⁷ But when I would this thing, whether I used unsteadfastness, either those things that I think, I think after the flesh, that at me be, it is and it is not?^[c]

¹⁸ But God is true, for our word that was at you, is and is not, is not therein, but is is in it.^[d]

¹⁹ For why Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which is preached among you by us, by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy, there was not in him, is and is not, but is was in him^[e].

²⁰ For why how many ever be promises of God, in that is, be fulfilled [Forsooth how many ever be promises of God, in him is, that is, in him they be fulfilled]. And therefore by him we say Amen to God, to our glory.

²¹ Soothly it is God that confirmeth us with you in Christ, and which anointed us, [The which soothly confirmeth us with you in Christ, and the which God anointed us,]

²² and which marked us [and that marked us], and gave earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

²³ For I call God to witness against my soul [Forsooth I in-call God witness into my soul], that I sparing you came not over to Corinth;

²⁴ not that we be lords of your faith [not for we be lords of your faith], but we be helpers of your joy; for through belief ye stand.