1 תֶּאְשַׁם שֹׁמְרֹון כִּי מָרְתָה בֵּאלֹהֶיהָ בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ עֹלְלֵיהֶם יְרֻטָּשׁוּ וְהָרִיֹּותָיו יְבֻקָּעוּ׃ פ | 1 Blessed is the man who has not slipped because of a word from his mouth, and who has not been stung by grief because of an offense. |
2 וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֹנֶךָ | 2 Happy is he who does not have sadness in his mind, and who has not fallen away from his hope. |
3 קְחוּ עִמָּכֶם דְּבָרִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָה אִמְרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן וְקַח־טֹוב וּנְשַׁלְּמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ | 3 Substance is senseless for a greedy and stingy man. And what would a spiteful man do with gold? |
4 אַשּׁוּר ׀ לֹא יֹושִׁיעֵנוּ עַל־סוּס לֹא נִרְכָּב וְלֹא־נֹאמַר עֹוד אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ יְרֻחַם יָתֹום | 4 Whoever acquires unjustly, according to his own mind, gathers for others. For another will spend his goods lavishly. |
5 אֶרְפָּא מְשׁוּבָתָם אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה כִּי שָׁב אַפִּי מִמֶּנּוּ | 5 Whoever is wicked to himself, to whom will he be good? For he will not take enjoyment in his own goods. |
6 אֶהְיֶה כַטַּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יִפְרַח כַּשֹּׁושַׁנָּה וְיַךְ שָׁרָשָׁיו כַּלְּבָנֹון | 6 Whoever has ill will toward himself, nothing is more worthless than he is. But such is the reward of his wickedness. |
7 יֵלְכוּ יֹנְקֹותָיו וִיהִי כַזַּיִת הֹודֹו וְרֵיחַ לֹו כַּלְּבָנֹון | 7 And if he does good, he does it ignorantly and unwillingly. And in the very end, he realizes his own malice. |
8 יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי בְצִלֹּו יְחַיּוּ דָגָן וְיִפְרְחוּ כַגָּפֶן זִכְרֹו כְּיֵין לְבָנֹון׃ ס | 8 The eye of the spiteful man is wicked, and he averts his face and despises his own soul. |
9 אֶפְרַיִם מַה־לִּי עֹוד לָעֲצַבִּים אֲנִי עָנִיתִי וַאֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ אֲנִי כִּבְרֹושׁ רַעֲנָן מִמֶּנִּי פֶּרְיְךָ נִמְצָא | 9 The eye of the greedy man is insatiable in his portion of iniquity. He will not be satisfied until he has consumed his own soul, withering it away. |
10 מִי חָכָם וְיָבֵן אֵלֶּה נָבֹון וְיֵדָעֵם כִּי־יְשָׁרִים דַּרְכֵי יְהוָה וְצַדִּקִים יֵלְכוּ בָם וּפֹשְׁעִים יִכָּשְׁלוּ בָם | 10 An evil eye is directed at evil things. And he will not be satisfied by bread; instead, he will be needy and grieving at his own table. |
| 11 Son, if you have anything, do good to yourself, and offer worthy oblations to God. |
| 12 Remember that death has not been delayed, and that the covenant of the grave has been revealed to you. For the covenant of this world will pass away in death. |
| 13 Do good to your friend before you die. And according to your ability, extend your hand and give to the poor. |
| 14 Do not cheat yourself out of a good day, and do not let the smallest good gift pass you by. |
| 15 Should you not leave it to others to divide your sorrows and labors by lot? |
| 16 Give, and receive, and justify your soul. |
| 17 Before your passing, accomplish justice. For in death, there is no food to be found. |
| 18 All flesh grows old like the grass, and like the foliage that springs forth from a green tree. |
| 19 Some spring up, and others fall away. Such is the generation of flesh and blood. One is finished, and another is born. |
| 20 Every corruptible work will fail in the end. And its worker will go with it. |
| 21 But every excellent work will be justified. And whoever worked it will be honored by it. |
| 22 Blessed is the man who will abide in wisdom, and who will meditate on her righteousness, and who, in his mind, will consider the circumspection of God. |
| 23 He considers her ways in his heart, and he finds understanding in her secrets. He goes after her like an investigator, and he is constant in her ways. |
| 24 He gazes through her windows, and he listens at her door. |
| 25 He rests next to her house, and, fastening a peg in her walls, he sets up his cottage by her hands. And so, good things will find rest in his cottage as time passes. |
| 26 He will station his sons under her covering, and he will abide under her branches. |
| 27 He will be protected by her covering from the heat, and he will rest in her glory. |