XXXIX. But he that giveth his mind to the law of the most High,

And is occupied in the meditation thereof,

Will seek out the wisdom of all the ancient,

And abe occupied in prophecies.

2  He will keep the sayings of the renowned men:

And aawhere subtil parables are, he will be there also.

3  He will seek out the secrets of bgrave sentences,

And be conversant in cdark parables.

4  He shall serve among great men,

And dappear before princes:

He will travel through strange countries;

For he hath tried the good and the evil among men.

5  He will give his heart eto resort early to the Lord that made him,

And will pray before the most High,

And will open his mouth in prayer,

And make supplication for his sins.

6  fWhen the great Lord will,

eHe shall be filled with the spirit of understanding:

He shall gpour out wise sentences,

And give thanks unto the Lord in his prayer.

7  He shall direct his counsel and knowledge,

And in his secrets shall he meditate.

8  He shall shew forth that which he hath learned,

And shall glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord.

9  hMany shall commend his understanding;

And so long as the world endureth, iit shall not be blotted out;

iHis memorial shall not depart away,

And his name shall live from generation to generation.

10  jNations shall shew forth his wisdom,

jAnd the congregation shall declare his praise.

11  If he die, he shall leave a greater name than a thousand:

And if he live, he shall * increase it.

12  Yet have I more to say, which kI have thought upon;

For I am filled as the moon at the full.

13  Hearken unto me, ye holy children,

And bud forth las a rose growing by the * brook of the field:

14  And mgive ye a sweet savour as nfrankincense,

And flourish as a olily,

Send forth a smell, and sing a song of praise,

Bless the Lord in all his works.

15  Magnify his name,

And shew forth his praise

With the songs of your lips, and with pharps,

And in praising him you shall say after this manner:

16  qAll the works of the Lord are exceeding good,

And rwhatsoever he commandeth shall be accomplished in due season.

17  sAnd none may say, What is this? wherefore is that?

For at time convenient they shall all be sought out:

tAt his commandment the waters stood as a heap,

And at the words of his mouth the receptacles of waters.

18  uAt his commandment is done whatsoever pleaseth him;

And xnone can hinder, when he will save.

19  yThe works of all flesh are before him,

And nothing can be hid from his eyes.

20  He seeth from everlasting to everlasting;

And there is nothing zwonderful before him.

21  A man need not to say, What is this? wherefore is that?

For he hath made all things for their uses.

22  His blessing covered the dry land as a river,

And awatered it as a flood.

23  As he hath turned the waters into saltness:

So shall the heathen inherit his wrath.

24  As bhis ways are plain unto the holy;

So are they stumblingblocks unto the wicked.

25  For the good are good things created from the beginning:

cSo evil things for sinners.

26  dThe principal things for the whole use of man’s life

Are dwater, fire, iron, and salt,

dFlour of wheat, honey, milk,

And ethe blood of the grape, and oil, and dclothing.

27  fAll these things are for good to the godly:

So to the sinners they are turned into evil.

28  There be spirits that are created for vengeance,

Which in their fury lay on sore strokes;

In the time of destruction they pour out their force,

And appease the wrath of him that made them.

29  kFire, and khail, and gfamine, and gdeath,

All these were created for vengeance;

30  hTeeth of iwild beasts, and iscorpions, i* serpents,

And gthe sword, punishing the wicked to destruction.

31  kThey shall rejoice in his commandment,

And they shall be ready upon earth, when need is;

And when their time is come, they shall not transgress his word.

32  Therefore from the beginning I was resolved,

And lthought upon these things, and have left them in writing.

33  mAll the works of the Lord are good:

And he will give every needful thing in due season.

34  So that a man cannot say, This is worse than that:

For in time they shall all be well approved.

35  And therefore praise ye the Lord with the whole heart and mouth,

And bless the name of the Lord.