1 Just as with the dividing of the waters, so also is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord. He shall bend it whichever way he wills.
2 Every way of a man seems right to himself. But the Lord weighs hearts.
3 To do mercy and judgment is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifices.
4 To lift up the eyes is to enlarge the heart. The lamp of the impious is sin.
5 The intentions of the robust continually bring forth abundance. But all the lazy are continually in need.
6 Whoever gathers treasures by a lying tongue is vain and heartless. And he will stumble into the snares of death.
7 The robberies of the impious will drag them down, because they were not willing to do judgment.
8 The perverse way of a man is foreign. But whoever is pure: his work is upright.
9 It is better to sit in a corner of the attic, than with a contentious woman and in a shared house.
10 The soul of the impious desires evil; he will not take pity on his neighbor.
11 When the pestilent is punished, a little one will become wiser. And if he pursues what is wise, he will receive knowledge.
12 The just thinks carefully about the house of the impious, so that he may draw the impious away from evil.
13 Whoever blocks his ears to the outcry of the poor shall also cry out himself, and he will not be heeded.
14 A surprise gift extinguishes anger. And a gift concealed in the bosom extinguishes the greatest indignation.
15 It is gladness for the just to do judgment; and it is dread for those who work iniquity.
16 A man who wanders astray from the way of doctrine will linger in the company of the giants.
17 Whoever loves a feast will be in deprivation. Whoever loves wine and fatness will not be enriched.
18 The impious is given over instead of the just, and the iniquitous is given over in place of the upright.
19 It is better to live in a deserted land, than with a quarrelsome and emotional woman.
20 There is desirable treasure, as well as oil, in the habitations of the just. And the imprudent man will waste it.
21 Whoever follows justice and mercy shall discover life, justice, and glory.
22 The wise has ascended the city of the strong, and he has torn down the bulwark of its confidence.
23 Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from anguish.
24 A proud and arrogant one is also called ignorant, if he, in anger, acts according to pride.
25 Desires kill the lazy, for his hands are not willing to work at all.
26 He covets and desires all day long. But whoever is just shall distribute and shall not cease.
27 The sacrifices of the impious are abominable, because they are offered out of wickedness.
28 A lying witness will perish. An obedient man shall speak of victory.
29 The impious man insolently hardens his face. But whoever is upright corrects his own way.
30 There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel, which is against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle. But the Lord bestows salvation.
1 A good name is better than many riches. And good esteem is above silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor have met one another. The Lord is the maker of them both.
3 The clever saw evil and hid himself. The innocent continued on and was afflicted with damage.
4 The end of moderation is the fear of the Lord, riches and glory and life.
5 Weapons and swords are on the way of the perverse. But he who guards his own soul withdraws far from them.
6 The proverb is: A youth is close to his way; even when he is old, he will not withdraw from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor. And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 Whoever sows iniquity will reap evils, and by the rod of his own wrath he will be consumed.
9 Whoever is inclined to mercy shall be blessed, for from his bread he has given to the poor. Whoever gives gifts will acquire victory and honor. But he carries away the soul of the receiver.
10 Cast out the one who ridicules, and conflict will go out with him, and accusations and insults will cease.
11 Whoever loves cleanness of heart, because of the grace of his lips, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over knowledge. And the words of the iniquitous are supplanted.
13 The lazy one says: “There is a lion outside. I might be slain in the midst of the streets.”
14 The mouth of a foreign woman is a deep pit; the Lord was angry with him who will fall into it.
15 Foolishness has been bound to the heart of a child, and a rod of discipline shall cause it to flee.
16 Whoever slanders the poor, so as to augment his own riches, will give it away to one who is richer, and will be in need.
17 Incline your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Then apply your heart to my doctrine.
18 It shall be beautiful to you, if you preserve it in your inner self, and it shall overflow from your lips,
19 so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Therefore, I also have revealed it to you this day.
20 Behold, I have written it for you in three ways, and with meditations and knowledge,
21 so that I might reveal to you, firmly and with words of truth, in order to respond about these things to those who sent you.
22 Do not act with violence toward the pauper because he is poor. And do not weary the needy at the gate.
23 For the Lord will judge his case, and he will pierce those who have pierced his soul.
24 Do not be willing to be a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man,
25 lest perhaps you learn his ways, and take up a stumbling block to your soul.
26 Do not be willing to be with those who certify with their hands, and who offer themselves as a guarantee against debts.
27 For if you do not have the means to restore, what reason should there be for him to take the covering from your bed?
28 Do not cross beyond the ancient limits that your fathers have set.
29 Have you seen a man swift in his work? He shall stand in the sight of kings, and not before those who are disreputable.
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16 And they commit their government to one man each year, to rule over their entire land, and they all obey this one, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.
17 And so Judas chose Eupolemus, the son of John, the son of Jacob, and Jason, the son of Eleazar, and he sent them to Rome to make an agreement of friendship and an alliance with them,
18 and so that they would take away from them the yoke of the Grecians, for they saw that they oppressed the kingdom of Israel with servitude.
19 And they went to Rome, a very long journey, and they entered the senate house, and they said,
20 Judas Maccabeus, and his brothers, and the people of the Jews, have sent us to you to establish with you an alliance and peace, and so that we may be registered among your associates and friends.
21 And the word was pleasing in their sight.
22 And this is a copy of the writing, which they rewrote on tablets of brass and sent to Jerusalem, so that it would be with them in that place as a memorial of the peace and alliance:
23 May all be well with the Romans and with the nation of the Jews, at sea and on land, forever, and may sword and enemy be far away from them.
24 But if a war is instituted against the Romans first, or against any of their allies in all their dominions,
25 the nation of the Jews will bring help to them, just as the situation shall direct, whole-heartedly.
26 And those who do battle, they need not provide with supplies of wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, just as it seems good to the Romans, and they shall obey their orders, while taking nothing from them.
27 But in like manner also, if war will have fallen upon the nation of the Jews first, the Romans shall help them willingly, just as the situation permits them.
28 And those who give assistance will not be provided with wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, just as it seems good to the Romans. And they shall obey their orders without deceit.
29 According to these words, the Romans have made an agreement with the people of the Jews.
30 And, if after these words, one or another would want to add anything to, or take anything from these, they may do as they propose. And whatever they add or take away, it shall be ratified.
31 Moreover, concerning the evils that king Demetrius did to them, we have written to him, saying, ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies, the Jews?
32 If, therefore, they come again to us against you, we will render judgment for them, and we will make war against you by sea and by land.’?
166 I looked to thy salvation, O Lord: and I loved thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies: and hath loved them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy commandments and thy testimonies: because all my ways are in thy sight.
169 TAU. Let my supplication, O Lord, come near in thy sight: give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my request come in before thee; deliver thou me according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter a hymn, when thou shalt teach me thy justifications.
172 My tongue shall pronounce thy word: because all thy commandments are justice.
1 Therefore, holy brothers, sharers in the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession: Jesus.
2 He is faithful to the One who made him, just as Moses also was, with his entire house.
3 For this Jesus was considered worthy of greater glory than Moses, so much so that the house which he has built holds a greater honor than the former one.
4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the One who has created all things.
5 And certainly Moses was faithful, with his entire house, like any servant, as a testimony to those things that would soon be said.
6 Yet truly, Christ is like a Son in his own house. We are that house, if we firmly retain the faithfulness and the glory of hope, even unto the end.
7 Because of this, it is just as the Holy Spirit says: “If today you hear his voice,
8 harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, the very day of temptation, in the desert,
9 where your fathers tested me, even though they had seen and examined my works for forty years.
10 For this reason, I was enraged against this generation, and I said: They always wander astray in heart. For they have not known my ways.
11 So it is as I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest!”
12 Be cautious, brothers, lest perhaps there may be, in any of you, an evil heart of unbelief, turning aside from the living God.
13 Instead, exhort one another every day, while it is still called ‘today,’ so that none of you may become hardened through the falseness of sin.
14 For we have been made participants in Christ. This is only so, if we firmly retain the beginning of his substance, even unto the end.
15 For it has been said: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts, in the same manner as in the former provocation.”
16 For some of those listening did provoke him. But not all of these had set forth from Egypt through Moses.
17 So against whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those who had sinned, whose dead bodies lay prostrate in the desert?
18 But to whom did he swear that they would not enter into his rest, except to those who were incredulous?
19 And so, we perceive that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
