New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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1 A wise ruler trains his people,
and gives them sound and orderly government.
2 Like ruler, like ministers;
like sovereign, like subjects;
3 a king untutored is the people's ruin,
but wise rulers make a city fit to live in.
Man's life under divine providence
4 The government of the world is in the hand of the Lord;
at the right time he appoints the right man to rule it.
5 In the Lord's hand is all human success;
it is he who confers honour on the legislator.
6 Do not nurse a grievance against your neighbour for every offence,
and do not resort to acts of insolence.
7 Arrogance is hateful to God and man,
and injustice is offensive to both.
8 Empire passes from nation to nation
because of injustice, insolence, and greed.
9 What has man to be so proud of? He is only dust and ashes,
subject even in life to bodily decay. note
10 A long illness mocks the doctor's skill;
today's king is tomorrow's corpse.
11 When a man dies, he comes into an inheritance
of maggots and vermin and worms.
12 The origin of pride is to forsake the Lord,
-- --
Man's life under divine providence
man's heart revolting against his Maker;
13 as its origin is sin,
so persistence in it brings on a deluge of depravity.
Therefore the Lord sends upon them signal punishments
and brings them to utter disaster.
14 The Lord overturns the thrones of princes
and enthrones the gentle in their place.
15 The Lord pulls up nations by the roots
and plants the humble instead.
16 The Lord lays waste the territory of nations,
destroying them to the very foundations of the earth.
17 Some he shrivels away to nothing,
so that all memory of them vanishes from the earth.
18 Pride was not the Creator's design for man
nor violent anger for those born of woman.
19 What creature is worthy of honour? Man.
What men? Those who fear the Lord.
What creature is worthy of contempt? Man.
What men? Those who break the commandments.
20 As the members of the family honour their head,
so the Lord honours those who fear him. note
22 The rich, the famous, and the poor—
their only boast is the fear of the Lord.
23 It is unjust to despise a poor man who is intelligent,
and wrong to honour a man who is a sinner.
24 The prince, the judge, and the ruler win high honours,
but none of them is as great as the godfearing man.
25 The wise slave will have free men to wait on him,
and a man of sense will not grumble at it.
26 Do not be too clever to do a day's work
or boast when you have nothing to live on.
27 It is better to work and have more than enough
than to boast and go hungry.
28 My son, in all modesty, keep your self-respect
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Man's life under divine providence
and value yourself at your true worth.
29 Who will speak up for a man who is his own enemy,
or respect one who disparages himself?
30 A poor man may be honoured for his wisdom,
a rich man for his wealth;
31 if a man is honoured in poverty, how much more in wealth!
And if he is despised in wealth, how much more in poverty!
New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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