New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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1 Vain hopes delude the senseless,
and dreams give wings to a fool's fancy.
2 It is like clutching a shadow, or chasing the wind,
to take notice of dreams.
3 What you see in a dream is nothing but a reflection,
like the image of a face in a mirror.
4 Purity cannot come out of filth;
how then can truth issue from falsehood?
5 Divination, omens, and dreams are all futile,
mere fantasies, like those of a woman in labour.
6 Unless they are sent by intervention from the Most High,
pay no attention to them.
7 Dreams have led many astray
and ruined those who built their hopes on them.
8 Such delusions can add nothing to the completeness of the law;
the wisdom spoken by the faithful is complete in itself.
9 An educated man knows many things,
and a man of experience understands what he is talking about.
10 An inexperienced man knows little,
but a man who travels grows in ability.
11 I have seen many things in the course of my travels,
and understand more than I can tell.
12 I have often been in deadly danger
and escaped, thanks to the experience I had gained.
-- --
True piety and the mercy of God
13 Those who fear the Lord shall live,
for their trust is in one who can keep them safe.
14 The man who fears the Lord will have nothing else to fear;
he will never be a coward, because his trust is in the Lord.
15 How blest is the man who fears the Lord!
He knows where to look for support.
16 The Lord keeps watch over those who love him,
their strong shield and firm support,
a shelter from scorching wind and midday heat,
a safeguard against stumbles and falls.
17 He raises the spirits and makes the eyes sparkle,
giving health, and life, and blessing.
18 A sacrifice derived from ill-gotten gains is contaminated,
a lawless mockery that cannot win approval.
19 The Most High is not pleased with the offering of the godless,
nor do endless sacrifices win his forgiveness.
20 To offer a sacrifice from the possessions of the poor
is like killing a son before his father's eyes.
21 Bread is life to the destitute,
and it is murder to deprive them of it.
22 To rob your neighbour of his livelihood is to kill him,
and the man who cheats a worker of his wages sheds blood.
23 When one builds and another pulls down,
what have they gained except hard work?
24 When one prays and another curses,
which is the Lord to listen to?
25 Wash after touching a corpse and then touch it again,
and what have you gained by your washing?
26 So it is with the man who fasts for his sins
and goes and does the same again;
who will listen to his prayer?
what has he gained by his penance?
-- --
True piety and the mercy of God
New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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