New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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1 But at other times you must not be ashamed,
or you will do wrong out of deference to others.
2 Do not be ashamed of the law and covenant of the Most High,
or of justice, for fear you acquit the guilty;
3 of settling accounts with a partner or a travelling-companion,
or of sharing an inheritance with the other heirs;
4 of using accurate weights and measures,
or of business dealings, large or small,
5 and making a profit out of trade;
of frequent disciplining of children,
or of drawing blood from the back of a worthless servant.
6 If your wife is untrustworthy, or where many hands are at work,
it is well to keep things under lock and key.
-- --
Man in society
7 When you make a deposit, see that it is counted and weighed,
and when you give or receive, have it all in writing.
8 Do not be ashamed to correct the ignorant and foolish,
or a greybeard guilty of fornication.
Then you will be showing your sound upbringing
and will win everyone's approval.
9 A daughter is a secret anxiety to her father,
and the worry of her keeps him awake at night;
when she is young, for fear she may grow too old to marry,
and when she is married, for fear she may lose her husband's love;
10 when she is a virgin, for fear she may be seduced
and become pregnant in her father's house,
when she has a husband, for fear she may misbehave,
and after marriage, for fear she may be barren.
11 Keep close watch over a headstrong daughter,
or she may give your enemies cause to gloat,
making you the talk of the town and a byword note among the people,
and shaming you in the eyes of the world.
12 Do not let her display her beauty to any man,
or gossip in the women's quarters. note
13 For out of clothes comes the moth,
and out of woman comes woman's wickedness.
14 Better a man's wickedness than a woman's goodness;
it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.
The wonders of creation
15 Now I will call to mind the works of the Lord
and describe what I have seen;
by the words of the Lord his works are made.
16 As the sun in its brilliance looks down on everything,
so the glory of the Lord fills his creation.
17 Even to his angels the Lord has not given the power
to tell the full story of his marvels,
which the Lord Almighty has established
-- --
The wonders of creation
so that the universe may stand firm in his glory.
18 He fathoms the abyss and the heart of man,
he is versed in their intricate secrets;
for the Lord possesses all knowledge
and observes the signs of all time.
19 He discloses the past and the future,
and uncovers the traces of the world's mysteries.
20 No thought escapes his notice,
and not a word is hidden from him.
21 He has set in order the masterpieces of his wisdom,
he who is from eternity to eternity;
nothing can be added, nothing taken away,
and he needs no one to give him advice.
22 How beautiful is all that he has made,
down to the smallest spark that can be seen!
23 His works endure, all of them active for ever
and all responsive to their various purposes.
24 All things go in pairs, one the opposite of the other;
he has made nothing incomplete.
25 One thing supplements the virtues of another.
Who could ever contemplate his glory enough?
New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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