3 Forsooth the souls of just men be in the hand of God; and the torment of death shall not touch them. [The souls of rightwise men be in the hand of God; and torment of death shall not touch them.]
2 They seemed to the eyes of unwise men to die; and torment was deemed the outgoing of them.
3 And from (a) just way they went into destroying, and that that is of (or for) us the way of destroying; but they be in peace. [And from a rightwise way they went into destruction, and that of us is way of destruction; they forsooth be in peace.]
4 Though they suffered torments before men, the hope of them is full of undeadliness (or of immortality).
5 They were travailed in a few things, and they shall be disposed well in many things; for why God assayed them, and found them worthy to (or for) himself. [In few things travailed, in many things they shall be well disposed; for God tempted them, and found them worthy himself.]
6 He proved them as gold in a furnace, and he took them as the offering of (a) burnt sacrifice; [As gold in furnace he proved them, and as burnt sacrifice of host he allowed them;]
7 and the beholding of them shall be in (the) time of yielding. Just men shall shine, and they shall run about as sparkles in a place of reeds. [and in time shall be the beholding of them. They shall shine rightwise, and as sparkles in reedy places they shall run hither and thither.]
8 They shall deem nations, and shall be lords of peoples; and the Lord of them shall reign without end. [They shall deem nations, and lordship to peoples; and the Lord of them shall reign into without end.]
9 They that trust on (or in) him, shall understand truth; and faithful men in love shall assent to him; for why (free) gift and peace is to his chosen men. [Who trust in him, shall understand truth; and faithful in love they shall assent to him; for free gift and peace is to the chosen men of him.]
10 But wicked men, by those things that they thought, shall have punishing; which despised just thing, and went away from the Lord. [Unpious men forsooth, after that (that) they thought, corrections shall have; that despised the rightwise, and from the Lord went away.]
11 For he that casteth away wisdom and lore, is cursed [or is unhappy]; and the hope of wicked men is void, and their travails be without fruit, and their works be unhabitable [or unable to dwell in], and unprofitable.
12 The women of them be unwitty, and the sons of them be full wayward. [The women of them be unwise, and most wicked the sons of them.]
13 The creature (or the generation) of them is cursed; for why the woman barren and undefouled is blessed [or for happy is the barren, and the undefouled], that hath not known the bed in trespass; she shall have fruit in the beholding of holy souls.
14 And a man unmighty to (en)gender, or to (be)get, is blessed, that hath not wrought wickedness by (or with) his hands, neither thought most wayward things against the Lord; for why a chosen (free) gift of faith shall be given to him, and a most acceptable heritage (or inheritance) in the temple of God. [And the gelding, that wrought not by his hands wickedness, nor thought against the Lord most wicked things; forsooth there shall be given to him the chosen free gift of the belief, and lot in the temple of God most allowed.]
15 For why the fruits of good travails is glorious, and the root of wisdom that falleth not down.
16 But the sons of adulterers shall be in destroying, and the seed of a wicked bed shall be destroyed. [The sons forsooth of adulterers in ending shall be, and from the wicked bed the seed shall be outlawed.]
17 And soothly though they shall be of long life, they shall be areckoned into nought; and the last eld (age) of them shall be without honour. [And if forsooth of long life they shall be, in nought they shall be counted; and without worship shall be the last eld (age) of them.]
18 And if they be dead swiftlier, they shall not have hope, neither allowing in the day of knowing. [And if swiftlier they shall be dead, they shall not have hope, nor in the day of acknowledging speech.]
19 Forsooth wicked nations be of hard ending.
