1 The thoughts of a king are in the Lord’s hand, streams he can sluice which way he wills. 2 His own path man scans, and nothing sees amiss, but the divine balance weighs our thoughts. 3 Mercy shewn and justice done win the Lord’s favour beyond any sacrifice. 4 Lordly looks, proud heart; the hopes[1] of the wicked are all at fault.
1 Sicut divisiones aquarum, ita cor regis in manu Domini:quocumque voluerit, inclinabit illud. 2 Omnis via viri recta sibi videtur:appendit autem corda Dominus. 3 Facere misericordiam et judiciummagis placet Domino quam victimæ. 4 Exaltatio oculorum est dilatatio cordis;lucerna impiorum peccatum.
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5 Ever diligence plans for plenty; sloth must be content to starve.
5 Cogitationes robusti semper in abundantia;omnis autem piger semper in egestate est.
6 Illusion it is and madness, wealth to win by perjury; death has caught thee in his snare. 7 Wicked men, that refuse the right, by their own violence come to ruin. 8 Crooked is man’s course, and belies his own nature, but pure souls there are whose life runs true.
6 Qui congregat thesauros lingua mendacii vanus et excors est,et impingetur ad laqueos mortis. 7 Rapinæ impiorum detrahent eos,quia noluerunt facere judicium. 8 Perversa via viri aliena est;qui autem mundus est, rectum opus ejus.
10 A godless man has set his heart on ill-doing; no ruth has he for his fellows. 11 The lash for the reckless, if thou wouldst turn a fool into a wise man; a wise master, and he shall learn yet. 12 Good heed the just man gives to the sinner’s household, in hope of diverting sinners from harm.[2]
10 Anima impii desiderat malum:non miserebitur proximo suo. 11 Mulctato pestilente, sapientior erit parvulus,et si sectetur sapientem, sumet scientiam. 12 Excogitat justus de domo impii,ut detrahat impios a malo.
21 Honest living be thy quest and kindly deeds, life shall be thine, and blessing, and honour. 22 Wisdom can scale the fortress great warriors hold, and bring low its boasted strength. 23 Guard lips and tongue, as thou wouldst guard thy life from peril. 24 I know one, Sir Reckless is the name of him, that is all proud airs, and does nothing but in over-bearing scorn.
21 Qui sequitur justitiam et misericordiaminveniet vitam, justitiam, et gloriam. 22 Civitatem fortium ascendit sapiens,et destruxit robur fiduciæ ejus. 23 Qui custodit os suum et linguam suamcustodit ab angustiis animam suam. 24 Superbus et arrogans vocatur indoctus,qui in ira operatur superbiam.
25 Day-dreams are the sluggard’s downfall; work his hands will not; 26 all day long dreaming and scheming, while honest men never spare themselves, nor take their ease.
25 Desideria occidunt pigrum:noluerunt enim quidquam manus ejus operari. 26 Tota die concupiscit et desiderat;qui autem justus est, tribuet, et non cessabit.
27 Tainted is the sinner’s sacrifice; the hand that offers it is stained with guilt. 28 The false witness shall meet his doom; obey the commandment, and thy pleadings shall triumph. 29 The ill-doer has eyes for nothing but his wanton designs; the upright scans well his path.
27 Hostiæ impiorum abominabiles,quia offeruntur ex scelere. 28 Testis mendax peribit;vir obediens loquetur victoriam. 29 Vir impius procaciter obfirmat vultum suum;qui autem rectus est corrigit viam suam.
30 Wisdom is none, prudence is none, counsel is none that can be matched against the Lord’s will; 31 well armed thy horse may be on the eve of battle, but the Lord sends victory.
30 Non est sapientia, non est prudentia,non est consilium contra Dominum. 31 Equus paratur ad diem belli;Dominus autem salutem tribuit.
[1] Literally, ‘the lamp’, or (according to the Hebrew text) ‘the untilled ground’. The sense is doubtful; nor is it clear whether ‘at fault’ refers to sinful actions or has its literal sense of missing a mark.
[2] There is no agreement as to the meaning of this verse; the Hebrew text has ‘drag down to’ instead of ‘divert from’, and some think that ‘the Just’ refers not to a just man but to Almighty God.
[3] Some think this means that in periods of general calamity the wicked suffer, while the just go free; but even so the phrasing of the verse would be obscure.
[4] The Hebrew text has ‘wisdom’ instead of ‘justice’, and the reference is presumably to material (not spiritual) blessings, which the fool squanders and the wise man saves up.
