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39:1 Not so he who gives his soul, And meditates in the law of the Most High; He searches out the wisdom of all the ancients, And is occupied in prophecies;
39:2 He preserves the discourses of men of renown, And enters into subtleties of parables; 39:3 He seeks out the hidden things of proverbs, And is conversant with the obscure things of parables. 39:4 He serves among great men, And appears before a ruler, He travels in the land of alien nations, And has tried both good and evil things among men. 39:5 He applies his heart to rise up early to the Lord who made him; And before the Most High he makes supplication, And opens his mouth in prayer, And makes supplication for his sins. 39:6 If the Great Lord is willing, He will be filled with the spirit of understanding. He himself pours forth words of wisdom, And gives thanks to the Lord in prayer; 39:7 He himself directs his counsel and knowledge, And in the secrets of it he meditates. 39:8 He himself declares the instruction of his teaching, And glories in the law of the covenant of the Lord. 39:9 Many praise his understanding, Never will it be blotted out, His memorial will not cease, And his name will live to generations of generations. 39:10 His wisdom will the Gentiles declare, And his praise will the congregation tell forth. 39:11 If he continues he will be counted [greater than] a thousand; And if he dies, he will become more renowned. 39:12 Yet more will I utter, which I have thought upon, For I am filled like the full moon. 39:13 Hearken to me, you+ holy children, and bud forth As a rose growing by a brook of water. 39:14 And as frankincense give forth a sweet odor, And put forth flowers as a lily; Spread forth a sweet smell, and sing a song of praise; Bless+ the Lord for all his works; 39:15 O magnify his name, And give utterance to his praise, With songs of the harp and of stringed instruments, And thus will you+ say, with a shout: 39:16 The works of God are all good, And for every need he provided in its time. 39:17 None may say: This is worse than that. For everything in its own time is excellent. At his word the waters stood as a heap, And by the word of his mouth his store-chamber. 39:18 He causes his will to prosper, And there is no restraint to his salvation. 39:19 The works of all flesh are before him, And there is nothing hid from before his eyes; 39:20 From everlasting to everlasting he beholds, Therefore there is no limit to his salvation, Nothing is small or insignificant with him, And there is nothing too wonderful or too hard for him. 39:21 None may say: What is this? Why is that? For all has been chosen according to its purpose. 39:22 His blessing overflows as the Nile, And saturates the world as the River. 39:23 Thus his indignation drives out nations, And he turns a watered land to salt. 39:24 The paths of the perfect are straight, [Even] so are they stumbling-blocks to the presumptuous. 39:25 Good things for the good he has allotted from the beginning; [Even] so to the evil; good and evil. 39:26 The chief of all things necessary to the life of man Are water and fire, and iron and salt, And flour of wheat, and milk and honey, The blood of the grape, oil and clothing. 39:27 All these are good to the good, [Even] as for the evil they are turned to evil. 39:28 There are winds that are created for vengeance, And in their wrath lay on their scourges heavily; And in the time of the end they pour out their strength, And appease the wrath of him who created them. 39:29 Fire and hail, famine and pestilence, These also are created for judgement. 39:30 Beasts of prey, scorpions and vipers, And the avenging sword to slay the wicked, All these are created for their uses, And are in [his] treasure-house, and in [their] time will be requisitioned. 39:31 When he commands them they rejoice, And in their prescribed task they do not rebel against him. 39:32 Therefore from the beginning I stood firm, And when I had considered it I set it down in writing: 39:33 The works of God are all good, They supply every need in its season. 39:34 None may say: This is worse than that, For everything shows its strength in its season. 39:35 And now sing praises with all your heart, And bless the name of the Holy One. |
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