16 For he coveteth not the multitude of sons unfaithful and unprofitable. [Forsooth he coveteth not the multitude of unfaithful sons and unprofitable.]
2 Be thou not glad in wicked sons, if they be multiplied; neither delight thou on (or in) them, if the dread of God is not in them. [Make thou not merry in unpious sons, if they be multiplied; nor delight thou upon them, if there is not the dread of God in them.]
3 Believe thou not to the life of them, and behold thou not into the travails of them. For why better is one dreading God, than a thousand wicked sons. And it is more profitable to die without sons, than to leave wicked sons. [Not give thou faith to the life of them, and not behold thou into the travails of them. Better is forsooth one dreading God, than a thousand unpious sons. And profitable it is to die without sons, than to leave unpious sons.]
4 A country shall be inhabited of (or by) one witty man; and it shall be made (a) desert of (or by) three wicked men. [Of one well feeling man shall be inhabited the city; and of three unpious it shall be forsaken.]
5 Mine eye saw many other things [or Many other things mine eye saw], and mine ear heard stronger things than these.
6 Fire shall burn on high in the synagogue of sinners, and ire shall burn on high in a folk unbelieveful. [In the synagogue of sinning men fire shall out-burn, and in the unbelieveful folk of kind wrath shall wax full out tend(ed).]
7 Eld [or Old] giants that were destroyed, trusting on their virtue (or in their own strength), prayed not for their sins;
8 and God spared not the pilgrimage of them, that is, their life, which is a pilgrimage on earth, but he killed them, and cursed them, for the pride of their word. [and he spared not to the pilgrimaging of them, but he smote them, and cursed them, for the pride of them.]
9 He had not mercy on them, and he lost [or destroying] all the folk enhancing (or exalting) themselves in their sins.
10 And as he killed six hundred thousand of footmen, that were gathered together in the hardness of their heart(s), that is, rebelty (or in rebellion) against God;
11 and if one had been hard-nolled, (it is a) wonder if he had been guiltless (or without guilt). For why mercy and ire is with him; prayer is mighty, and shedding out ire. [and if one were reared up the noll, (it is a) wonder if he had been harmless (or without harm). Mercy forsooth and wrath is with him; mighty is the full out orison, and pouring out wrath.]
12 By his mercy, so is the chastising of each man; he is deemed by his works. [After his mercy, so the chastising of him; he deemeth a man after his works.]
13 A sinner in (or with) (his) raven shall not escape; and the sufferance of him that doeth mercy shall not tarry. [The sinner shall not escape out into raven; and the suffering of the doing mercy shall not tarry behind.]
14 All mercy shall make (a) place to (or for) each man, after the merit of his works, and after the understanding of his pilgrimage. [Each mercy shall make (a) place to (or for) each one, after the desert (or the deserving) of his works, and after the understanding of the pilgrimaging of him.]
15 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
16 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
17 Say thou not, I shall be hid from God; and from the highest, that is, heaven, who shall have mind on me? Say thou not, I shall not be known in (such) a great (number of) people; for why which (or what) is my soul in so great a (number of) creature(s)? [or what forsooth is my soul in so great a (number of) creature(s) without measure?]
18 Lo! heaven, and the heavens of heavens, the great ocean, and all (the) earth, and those things that be in those, shall be moved in his sight; [Lo! heaven, and heavens of heavens, the sea, or (the) deepness, and all the earth, and that in them be, in the sight of him shall be moved (al)together;]
19 (the) mountains (al)together, and (the) little hills, and the foundaments (or the foundations) of (the) earth; and when God beholdeth those, those shall be shaken (al)together with trembling. [mountains (al)together, and hills, and the foundaments of the earth; and when God shall behold them, by trembling they shall be smitten together.]
20 And in all these things the heart is unwise, and (or but) each heart is understood of (or by) him. And who understandeth his ways? [And in all these things mis-feeling, or unwitty, is the heart, and each heart is understood of him. And the ways of him who understandeth?]
21 and a tempest, which the eye of man saw not? For why full many works of him be in hid things,
22 but who shall tell out the works of his rightfulness, either [or] who shall suffer (them)? For why the testament is far from some men; and the asking of men is in the ending.
23 He that is made little in heart, thinketh (upon) vain things; and a man unprudent and a fool thinketh (upon) fond things. [Who is less(en)ed in heart, thinketh idle things; and the unprudent man and erring thinketh follies.]
24 Son, hear thou me, and learn thou teaching [or discipline] of wit, and give thou attention to my words in thine heart;
25 and I shall say teaching in equity, and I shall seek to tell out wisdom. And give thou attention to my words in thine heart; and I say in equity of spirit the virtues, which God hath set on his works at the beginning [or that God put into his works from the beginning], and in truth I tell out the cunning (or the knowing) of him.
26 In the doom of God be his works from the beginning; and in the ordinance of those, he parted the parts of those, and he parted the beginnings of those in his folks. [In the doom of God his works from the beginning; and from the ordaining of those men he severed the parts of them, and the beginnings of them in their folks of kind/in his folks of kind.]
27 He adorned without end the works of them; they hungered not, neither travailed, and they ceased not of their works.
28 Each shall not make strait [or anguish] the next to him, till into without end. Be thou not unbelieveful to the word of him.
29 After these things God beheld into the earth, and filled it with his goods (or with his good things).
30 Forsooth the soul of each living thing told before his face; and that soul is again the turning again of those things.
