1 The man who, with a stiff neck, treats the one who corrects him with contempt will be suddenly overwhelmed to his own destruction, and reason shall not follow him.
2 When just men are multiplied, the common people shall rejoice. When the impious take up the leadership, the people shall mourn.
3 The man who loves wisdom rejoices his father. But whoever nurtures promiscuous women will lose his substance.
4 A just king guides the land. A man of avarice will destroy it.
5 A man who speaks to his friend with flattering and feigned words spreads a net for his own feet.
6 A snare will entangle the iniquitous when he sins. And the just shall praise and be glad.
7 The just knows the case of the poor. The impious is ignorant of knowledge.
8 Pestilent men squander a city. Yet truly, the wise avert fury.
9 A wise man, if he were to contend with the foolish, whether in anger or in laughter, would find no rest.
10 Bloodthirsty men hate the simple one; but the just seek out his soul.
11 A foolish one offers everything on his mind. A wise one reserves and defers until later.
12 A leader who freely listens to lying words has only impious servants.
13 The pauper and the creditor have met one another. The Lord is the illuminator of them both.
14 The king who judges the poor in truth, his throne shall be secured in eternity.
15 The rod and its correction distribute wisdom. But the child who is left to his own will brings shame to his mother.
16 When the impious are multiplied, crimes will be multiplied. But the just shall see their ruin.
17 Teach your son, and he will refresh you, and he will give delight to your soul.
18 When prophecy fails, the people will be scattered. Yet truly, whoever guards the law is blessed.
19 A servant cannot be taught by words, because he understands what you say, but he disdains to respond.
20 Have you seen a man rushing to speak? Foolishness has more hope than his correction.
21 Whoever nurtures his servant delicately from childhood, afterwards will find him defiant.
22 A short-tempered man provokes quarrels. And whoever is easily angered is more likely to sin.
23 Humiliation follows the arrogant. And glory shall uphold the humble in spirit.
24 Whoever participates with a thief hates his own soul; for he listens to his oath and does not denounce him.
25 Whoever fears man will quickly fall. Whoever hopes in the Lord shall be lifted up.
26 Many demand the face of the leader. But the judgment of each one proceeds from the Lord.
27 The just abhor an impious man. And the impious abhor those who are on the right way. By keeping the word, the son shall be free from perdition.
1 The words of the Gatherer, the son of the Vomiter. The vision that the man spoke. God is with him, and he, being strengthened by God and abiding with him, said:
2 I am the most foolish among men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have not known the knowledge of sanctity.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and also descended? Who has grasped the wind in his hands? Who has tied the waters together, as with a garment? Who has raised all the limits of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son, if you know?
5 Every word of God is fire-tested. He is a bronze shield to those who hope in him.
6 Do not add anything to his words, lest you be reproved and be discovered to be a liar.
7 Two things I have asked of you; do not deny them to me before I die.
8 Remove, far from me, vanity and lying words. Give me neither begging, nor wealth. Apportion to me only the necessities of my life,
9 lest perhaps, being filled, I might be enticed into denial, and say: ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or, being compelled by destitution, I might steal, and then perjure myself in the name of my God.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, lest he curse you, and you fall.
11 There is a generation which curses their father, and which does not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation which seems pure to themselves, and yet they are not even washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, whose eyes have been elevated, and their eyelids are lifted on high.
14 There is a generation which has swords in place of teeth, and which commands their molars to devour the indigent from the earth and the poor from among men.
15 The leech has two daughters, who say, ‘Bring, bring.’ Three things are insatiable, and a fourth never says ‘Enough’:
16 Hell, and the mouth of the womb, and a land that is not filled with water. And truly, fire never says, ‘Enough.’
17 The eye of one who mocks his father and who despises the childbearing of his mother, let the ravens of the torrent tear it out, and let the sons of the eagles consume it.
18 Three things are difficult for me, and about a fourth, I am nearly ignorant:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man in adolescence.
20 Such is the way also of an adulterous woman, who eats, and wiping her mouth, says: “I have done no evil.”
21 By three things, the earth is moved, and a fourth it is not able to sustain:
22 by a slave when he reigns, by the foolish when he has been filled with food,
23 by a hateful woman when she has been taken in matrimony, and by a handmaid when she has been heir to her mistress.
24 Four things are least upon the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
25 the ants, an infirm people who provide food for themselves at the harvest,
26 the rabbit, a sickened people who make their bed upon the rock.
27 The locust has no king, but they all depart by their troops.
28 The lizard supports itself on hands and dwells in the buildings of kings.
29 There are three things that advance well, and a fourth that marches happily on:
30 a lion, the strongest of beasts, who fears nothing that he meets,
31 a rooster prepared at the loins, likewise a ram, and a king, whom none can resist.
32 There is one who has appeared foolish, after he was lifted up on high; for if he had understood, he would have placed his hand over his mouth.
33 But whoever strongly squeezes the udder to bring out the milk, presses out butter. And whoever violently blows his nose, brings out blood. And whoever provokes wrath, brings forth discord.”
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12 Then the foreigners, who were in the fortifications that Bacchides had built, fled away.
13 And each one abandoned his place and departed into his own land.
14 Only in Bethzur did there remain some others of these, who had forsaken the law and the precepts of God. For this was a refuge for them.
15 And king Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius promised to Jonathan. And they described the battles to him, and the virtuous deeds that he and his brothers had done, and the hardships that they had endured.
16 And he said: “Would we ever find another such man? And so now, let us make him our friend and our associate.”
17 And so, he wrote a letter, and he sent it to him, according to these words, saying:
18 King Alexander to his brother, Jonathan: greetings.
19 We have heard of you, that you are a man of power and strength, and that you are fit to be our friend.
20 And so now, on this day, we appoint that you be high priest of your people, and that you be called the king’s friend, (and he sent him a purple robe, and a crown of gold,) and that you be of one mind with us in our affairs, and that you keep friendship with us.”
21 Then Jonathan clothed himself with the holy vestment, in the seventh month, in the one hundred and sixtieth year, on the solemn day of the Feast of Tabernacles. And he gathered together an army, and he made an abundance of weapons.
22 And Demetrius heard these words, and he was exceedingly sorrowful, and he said:
23 What have we done in this, that Alexander has gone before us to obtain the friendship of the Jews to strengthen himself?
24 I also will write to them words of petition, and offer positions of rank and gifts, so that they may act in assistance to me.”
25 And he wrote to them in these words: “King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews: greetings.
26 Since you have kept the peace with us, and have remained in our friendship, and have not made agreements with our enemies, we have heard of this, and we are glad.
27 And so now, persevere still to remain faithful to us, and we will reward you with good things for what you have done for us.
28 And we will repay you for your many expenses, and we will give you gifts.
29 And now, I release you, and all the Jews, from tributes, and I grant to you the payments of salt, and I send back the crowns and the thirds of the seed.
30 And the one half portion of the fruit from the trees, which is my share, I relinquish to you from this day and hereafter, so that it shall not be taken from the land of Judah, nor from the three cities that have been added to it from Samaria and Galilee, from this day and for all time.
31 And let Jerusalem be holy and free within its borders, and let the tenths and tributes be for itself.
1 To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven.
2 Behold as the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.
1 Now the main point in the things that have been stated is this: that we have so great a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in the heavens,
2 who is the minister of holy things, and of the true tabernacle, which was established by the Lord, not by man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, it is necessary for him also to have something to offer.
4 And so, if he were upon the earth, he would not be a priest, since there would be others to offer gifts according to the law,
5 gifts which serve as mere examples and shadows of the heavenly things. And so it was answered to Moses, when he was about to complete the tabernacle: “See to it,” he said, “that you make everything according to the example which was revealed to you on the mountain.”
6 But now he has been granted a better ministry, so much so that he is also the Mediator of a better testament, which has been confirmed by better promises.
7 For if the former one had been entirely without fault, then a place certainly would not have been sought for a subsequent one.
8 For, finding fault with them, he says: “Behold, the days shall arrive, says the Lord, when I will consummate a New Testament over the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
9 not according to the testament which I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand, so that I might lead them away from the land of Egypt. For they did not remain in my testament, and so I disregarded them, says the Lord.
10 For this is the testament which I will set before the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord. I will instill my laws in their minds, and I will inscribe my laws on their hearts. And so, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11 And they will not teach, each one his neighbor, and each one his brother, saying: ‘Know the Lord.’ For all shall know me, from the least, even to the greatest of them.
12 For I will forgive their iniquities, and I will no longer remember their sins.”
13 Now in saying something new, he has made the former old. But that which decays and grows old is close to passing away.
1 Certainly, the former also had the justifications of worship and a holy place for that age.
2 For a tabernacle was made at first, in which were the lampstand, and the table, and the bread of the Presence, which is called Holy.
3 Then, beyond the second veil, was the tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies,
4 having a golden censer, and the ark of the testament, covered all around and on every part with gold, in which was a golden urn containing manna, and the rod of Aaron which had blossomed, and the tablets of the testament.
5 And over the ark were the Cherubim of glory, overshadowing the propitiatory. There is not enough time to speak about each of these things.
6 Yet truly, once such things were placed together, in the first part of the tabernacle, the priests were, indeed, continually entering, so as to carry out the duties of the sacrifices.
7 But into the second part, once a year, the high priest alone entered, not without blood, which he offered on behalf of the neglectful offenses of himself and of the people.
8 In this way, the Holy Spirit is signifying that the way to what is most holy was not yet made manifest, not while the first tabernacle was still standing.
9 And this is a parable for the present time. Accordingly, those gifts and sacrifices that are offered are not able, as concerns the conscience, to make perfect those things that serve only as food and drink,
10 as well as the various washings and justices of the flesh, which were imposed upon them until the time of correction.
11 But Christ, standing as the High Priest of future good things, through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, one not made by hand, that is, not of this creation,
12 entered once into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption, neither by the blood of goats, nor of calves, but by his own blood.
13 For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the ashes of a calf, when these are sprinkled, sanctify those who have been defiled, in order to cleanse the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit has offered himself, immaculate, to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, in order to serve the living God?
15 And thus he is the Mediator of the new testament, so that, by his death, he intercedes for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, so that those who have been called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.
