XI. Wisdom lifteth up the head * of him that is of low degree,

And amaketh him to sit among great men.

2  Commend not a man for his beauty;

Neither abhor a man for his outward appearance.

3  The bee is little among such as fly;

But her fruit is bthe chief of sweet things.

4  cBoast not of thy clothing and raiment,

And exalt not thyself in the day of honour:

For dthe works of the Lord are wonderful,

And his works among men are hidden.

5  Many * kings have esit down upon the ground;

And one that was never thought of hath worn the crown.

6  fMany mighty men have been greatly disgraced;

And the honourable delivered into other men’s hands.

7  gBlame not before thou hast examined the truth:

Understand first, and then rebuke.

8  hAnswer not before thou hast heard the cause:

Neither interrupt men in the midst of their talk.

9  Strive not in a matter that concerneth thee not;

And sit not * in judgment with sinners.

10  My son, meddle not with many matters:

For if thou meddle much, thou shalt not be innocent;

And if thou ifollow after, thou shalt not iobtain,

Neither shalt thou * escape by fleeing.

11  kThere is one that laboureth, and taketh pains, and maketh haste,

And is so much the more behind.

12  Again, there is another that is slow, and hath need of help,

Wanting lability, and full of poverty;

mYet the eye of the Lord looked upon him for good,

And set him up from his low estate,

13  And lifted up his head from misery;

So that many that saw it marvelled at him.

14  nProsperity and adversity, life and death,

Poverty and riches, come of the Lord.

15  oWisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the law, are of the Lord:

Love, and the way of good works, are from him.

16  Error and darkness phad their beginning together with sinners:

And evil shall wax old with them that glory therein.

17  The gift of the Lord remaineth with the godly,

And his favour bringeth prosperity for ever.

18  There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and pinching,

And this is the portion of his reward:

19  qWhereas he saith, I have found rest,

And now will eat qcontinually of my goods;

And yet he knoweth not what time shall * come upon him,

And that rhe must leave those things to others, and die.

20  sBe stedfast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein,

And wax old in thy work.

21  tMarvel not at the works of sinners;

But trust in the Lord, and abide in thy labour:

For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord on the sudden to make a poor man rich.

22  The blessing of the Lord is * in the reward of the godly,

And suddenly he maketh his blessing to flourish.

23  Say not, uWhat profit is there of my service?

And what good things shall I have hereafter?

24  Again, qsay not, I have enough, and possess many things,

And what evil can come to me hereafter?

25  vIn the day of prosperity there is a forgetfulness of affliction:

And in the day of affliction there is no remembrance of prosperity.

26  For it is an easy thing unto the Lord win the day of death

To reward a man according to his ways.

27  The affliction of an hour maketh a man forget pleasure:

And in his end his deeds shall be discovered.

28  xJudge none blessed before his death:

For a man shall be known in his children.

29  Bring not every man into thine house:

For the deceitful man hath many trains.

30  Like as a partridge taken and kept in a cage, so is the heart of the proud;

And like as a spy, watcheth he for thy fall:

31  For he lieth in wait, and turneth good into evil,

And in things worthy praise will lay blame upon thee.

32  Of a spark of fire ya heap of coals is kindled:

And a sinful man layeth wait for blood.

33  Take heed of a mischievous man, for he worketh wickedness;

Lest he bring upon thee a perpetual blot.

34  Receive a stranger into thine house, and he will disturb thee,

And turn thee out of zthine own.