Ecclesiasticus 40

¹Great travail is created to all men, and an heavy yoke upon the children of Adam, from the day of their coming forth of their mother's womb, until the day of their burying, into the mother of all.

²Their cogitations, and fears of the heart, imagination of things to come, and the day of their ending:

³from him that sitteth upon the glorious seat, unto him that is humbled in earth & ashes.

⁴From him that weareth hyacinth, and beareth the crown, even to him, that is covered with rude linen: fury, envy, tumult, wavering, and the fear of death, anger persevering, and contention,

⁵and in the time of repose in bed, the sleep of night changeth his knowledge.

⁶A little is as nothing in rest, and afterward in sleep, as in the day of watch.

⁷He is troubled in the vision of his heart, as he that hath escaped in the day of battle. In the time of his safety he rose up, and marveleth at no fear:

⁸With all flesh, from man even to beast, and upon sinners sevenfold.

⁹Beside these things, death, blood, contention, and sword, oppressions, famine, and contrition, and scourges:

¹⁰for the wicked all these were created, and for them the flood was made.

¹¹All things that are of the earth, shall turn into the earth, and all waters shall return into the sea.

¹²All bribing, and iniquity shall be clean taken away, and fidelity shall stand for ever.

¹³The riches of the unjust shall be dried up as a river, and they shall sound as great thunder in rain.

¹⁴In opening his hands he shall rejoice: so transgressors shall pine away in consumption.

¹⁵The nephews of the impious shall not multiply boughs, nor unclean roots sound upon the top of a rock.

¹⁶Over all water greenness, and at the brink of the river it shall be plucked up before all grass.

¹⁷Grace is as paradise in blessings, and mercy remaineth for ever.

¹⁸The life of a workman that is sufficient for himself shall be sweet, and in it thou shalt find a treasure.

¹⁹Children, and building of a city shall confirm the name, and an unspotted woman shall be counted above this.

²⁰Wine and music make a joyful heart: and the love of wisdom is above both.

²¹Shalms, and Psaltery make sweet melody, and a sweet tongue is above both.

²²Thine eye will desire grace and beauty, and green sown fields are above this.

²³A friend and companion meeting together in time, & above them both is a woman with her husband.

²⁴Brethren are an help in the time of tribulation, and mercy shall deliver more than they.

²⁵Gold & silver are the establishing of the feet: and counsel is well accepted above them both.

²⁶Riches & strength exalt the heart, and above these is the fear of our Lord.

²⁷There is no diminution in the fear of our Lord, and in it there is no need to seek for help.

²⁸The fear of our Lord is as a paradise of blessing, and they have covered it above all glory.

²⁹Son in thy lifetime want not: for it is better to die than to want.

³⁰Aman that looketh toward another man's table, his life is as no life, thinking how to live, for he feedeth his soul with another man's meats.

³¹But a man nurtured and taught, will look to himself.

³²Poverty will be sweet in the mouth of the unwise, and in his belly a fire will burn.