28 1 n oHe that taketh vengeanceo shall find vengeance from the Lord,

ooAnd his sins p(God) will surely keepp (in memory)oo.

2 ppForgive thy neighbour the injury (done to thee)pp,

qAnd then, when thou prayest, thy sins will be forgivenq.

3 Man cherisheth anger against another;

Andr doth he seek healing from Gods?

4 tOn a man like himself he hath no mercy;

And doth he make supplication for his own sinst?

5 He, being fleshu, vnourisheth wrathv;

Who will wmake atonementw for his sins?

6 Remember thy xlast endx, and cease from enmityy;.

(Remember) zcorruption and deathz, and aabide in the commandmentsa.

7 Remember the commandments, and be not wroth with thy neighbour;

And (remember) the covenant of the Most High, and boverlook ignorancebc.

(h) 28:8–12. Warnings against quarrelling

(= 2 + 2 + 2 distichs).

G 8 Keep far from strife, and dsins will keep far from theed:

eFor a passionate man kindleth strifee;

9 And a sinful man fstirreth up strife among friendsf,

And casteth enmityg in the midst of the peaceful.

10 According to its fuel, so will the fire burn;

hAnd according to the vehemence of the strife, so doth it increaseh i;

And according to the iimightii of a man, so is his wrath;

And according to (his) wealth, so doth he increasek his anger.

kkStrife begun in haste kindleth firekk,

11 And a hasty quarrel lleadeth to bloodshedl.

If thou blow a spark it burneth, mand if thou spit upon it it is quenchedm;

12 And both ncome out of thy mouthn.

(i) 28:13–26. The mischief that is wrought by a wicked tongue

(= 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 1 distichs).

13 oCurse the whisperer and double-tonguedo,

pFor it hath destroyed many that were at peacep.

14 The third tongue qhath taken many captiveq,

And hath dispersed them ramong many nationsr;

Even strong cities hath it destroyeds,

And laid wastet the dwellings of the great.

15 The third tongue hath cast out ubrave womenu,

And deprived them of their laboursv.

16 wHe that hearkeneth thereto shall not find rest,

Neither shall be dwell in quietnessw.

17 The stroke of a whip maketh a mark,

But the stroke of the tongue breaketh bones.

G 18 wwMany have fallen by the edge of the sword,

But not (so many) as they that have fallen through the tongueww.

19 Happy the man that is shelteredx therefrom,

And that xxhath not passed throughxx the wrath thereof;

That hath not drawn the yoke thereof,

And that hath not been bound with its bands.

20 For its yoke is a yoke of iron,

And its bands are bands of brass.

21 The death thereof is an evil death,

S yAnd the rest of Hades is better than hersy.

G 22 (But) it hath no power over the godly,

They will not be burned in her flame;

23 zThey thata forsake the Lord shall fall into itz,

And she will burn among them, and not be quenched;

As a lion shall she be sent upon them,

And as a leopard shall she destroy themb.

S 24(a)cFor as thou enclosest thy vineyard with thornsc,

70 248 25(b) So make ddoors and boltsd for thy mouth.

S 24(b)eThou makest a boltf fore thy silver and gold,

G 25(a) Make a balance and weight for thy words.

26 Take heed that thou slip not therebyg,

Lest thou fall before hhim that ensnarethh.

(j) 29:1–13. On lending and borrowing

(= 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 3 distichs).