1 Do not choose to seek iniquitous possessions, and you should not say: “I have all I need in life.” For it will be of no benefit to you in the time of retribution and darkness.
2 You should not pursue, in your strength, the desires of your heart.
3 And you should not say: “How powerful am I?” or, “Who will cast me down because of my deeds?” For God will vindicate with vengeance.
4 You should not say, “I sinned, and what grief has befallen me?” For the Most High is a patient recompensor.
5 Do not be willing to be without fear concerning a forgiven sin, and you should not add sin upon sin.
6 And you should not say: “The compassion of the Lord is great; he will take pity on the multitude of my sins.”
7 For both mercy and wrath go forth quickly from him, and his wrath sets its gaze upon sinners.
8 You should not delay being converted to the Lord, and you should not set it aside from day to day.
9 For his wrath will approach suddenly, and in the time of vindication, he will destroy you.
10 Do not choose to be anxious for unjust wealth. For these things will not benefit you in the day of darkness and retribution.
11 You should not winnow in every wind, and you should not go forth into every path. For so is every sinner proven by his duplicitous tongue.
12 Be steadfast in the way of the Lord and in the truth of your understanding and knowledge, and let words of peace and justice overtake you.
13 Be meek when listening to a word, so that you may understand. And offer a true response in wisdom.
14 If you understand, then answer your neighbor. But if you do not, then let your hand be over your mouth, so that you are not caught by an inept word, and then confounded.
15 Honor and glory are in the words of those who understand, yet truly, the tongue of the imprudent man is his undoing.
16 You should not be called a whisperer, and you should not be caught by your own tongue, and then confounded.
17 For confusion and remorse is upon a thief, and a wicked mark is upon the double-tongued; but for the whisperer, there is hatred and animosity and disgrace.
18 Justify the small and the great similarly.
1 Do not be willing to become an enemy instead of a friend to your neighbor. For an evil man will inherit reproach and disgrace, as will every sinner who is envious and double-tongued.
2 You should not extol yourself, like a bull, in the thoughts of your soul, lest perhaps your strength may be cast down through foolishness,
3 which would consume your leaves, and destroy your fruit, and leave you behind like a dry tree in the desert.
4 For a wicked soul will destroy the one who has it. For it gladly provides enemies to him, and it will lead him to the fate of the impious.
5 A sweet word multiplies friends and mitigates enemies. And thankful words abound in a good man.
6 Allow many to be at peace with you, but allow one out of a thousand to be your counselor.
7 If you would obtain a friend, test him before you accept him, and do not trust him readily.
8 For there is a friend according to his own time, but he will not remain in the day of tribulation.
9 And there is a friend who can be turned to animosity. And there is a friend who will reveal hatred and ridicule and insults.
10 And there is a friend who is a companion at table, but he will not remain in a day of need.
11 A friend, if he remains steadfast, will be to you as you are to yourself, and he will act with faithfulness among those of your household.
12 If he humbles himself before you and hides himself from your face, you shall have a noble and harmonious friendship.
13 Distance yourself from your enemies, and pay attention to your friends.
14 A faithful friend is a strong shelter, and whoever has found one has found a treasure.
15 Nothing is comparable to a faithful friend, and no weight of silver or gold is worth more than the goodness of his fidelity.
16 A faithful friend is a medicine for life and immortality; and those who fear the Lord will find one.
17 He who fears God will have a similar good friendship, because his friend will be like him.
18 Son, from your youth receive instruction, and then you will find wisdom, even to your grey hairs.
19 Approach wisdom like one who plows and sows, and then wait for her good fruits.
20 For in doing her work, you will labor a little, but you will soon eat from her produce.
21 How exceedingly harsh is wisdom to unlearned men! And so, the witless will not remain with her.
22 She will be to them like a great stone of trial, and they will cast her away from them without delay.
23 For the wisdom of doctrine is in accord with her name, and she is not manifest to many. But she continues with those by whom she is recognized, even in the sight of God.
24 Listen, son, and accept an understanding counsel, for you should not discard my advice.
25 Set your feet in her fetters and your neck in her chains.
26 Incline your shoulder, and carry her, for you will not be grieved by her bindings.
27 Approach her with all your soul, and serve her ways with all your strength.
28 Examine her, and she will be revealed to you, and when you have obtained her, you should not abandon her.
29 For, in the very end, you will find rest in her, and she will turn into your delight.
30 Then her fetters will be a strong protection and a firm foundation for you, and her chains will be a robe of glory.
31 For in her is the beauty of life, and her bindings are a healing bandage.
32 You will be clothed with her as with a robe of glory, and you will set her upon your head like a crown of rejoicing.
33 Son, if you heed me, you will learn. And if you adapt your mind, you will be wise.
34 If you incline your ear, you will receive doctrine. And if you love to listen, you will be wise.
35 Stand among the multitude of prudent elders, and join yourself to their wisdom from the heart, so that you may be able to hear every discourse about God, and so that the proverbs of praise may not flee from you.
36 And if you see a man of understanding, stand watch for him, and let your feet wear down the steps of his doors.
37 Set your thoughts on the precepts of God, and be entirely constant in his commandments. And he himself will give a heart to you, and the desire of wisdom will be given to you.
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1 Now it is found in the descriptions of the prophet Jeremiah that he ordered those who transmigrated to take the fire, just as it was signified and as he ordered, into the transmigration.
2 And he gave them the law, so that they would never forget the commandments of the Lord, and so that they would not go astray in their minds, seeing the idols of gold and silver, and their ornaments.
3 And in this manner, with other sayings, he exhorted them, lest they remove the law from their heart.
4 Furthermore, it was in the same writing, how the prophet, by divine response, ordered that the tabernacle and the ark be made to accompany him, until he exited from the mountain, where Moses ascended and saw the inheritance of God.
5 And arriving there, Jeremiah found a place in a cave. And he brought both the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense into that place, and he obstructed opening.
6 And certain ones of those who followed him, approached to make note of the location, but they were not able to find it.
7 But when Jeremiah knew of it, he blamed them, saying: “The place shall be unknown, until God shall gather together the congregation of the people, and until he may be favorably inclined.
8 And then the Lord will reveal these things, and the majesty of the Lord shall appear, and there will be a cloud, just as it was also manifested to Moses, and just as he manifested these when Solomon petitioned that the place should be sanctified to the great God.
9 For he also drew upon wisdom magnificently, and so, having wisdom, he offered the sacrifice of the dedication and the consummation of the temple.
10 And, just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire descended from heaven and consumed the holocaust, so also Solomon prayed and fire descended from heaven and consumed the holocaust.
11 And Moses said that it was consumed because the sin offering was not eaten.
12 And similarly, Solomon also celebrated the eight days of the dedication.
13 Moreover, these same things were put into the descriptions and commentaries of Nehemiah, including how, when constructing a library, he gathered together from the regions the books of the Prophets, and of David, and the epistles of the kings, and from the holy gifts.
14 And, similarly, Judas also gathered together all the things that were destroyed by the war that befell us, and these are with us.
15 Therefore, if you desire these things, send those who may carry them to you.
1 Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept: when we remembered Sion:
2 On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instruments.
3 For there they that led us into captivity required of us the words of songs. And they that carried us away, said: Sing ye to us a hymn of the songs of Sion.
4 How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten.
6 Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee: If I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of Jerusalem: Who say: Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, miserable: blessed shall he be who shall repay thee thy payment which thou hast paid us.
9 Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock.
1 He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, upon whom we have gazed, and whom our hands have certainly touched: He is the Word of Life.
2 And that Life has been made manifest. And we have seen, and we testify, and we announce to you: the Eternal Life, who was with the Father, and who appeared to us.
3 He whom we have seen and heard, we announce to you, so that you, too, may have fellowship with us, and so that our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And this we write to you, so that you may rejoice, and so that your joy may be full.
5 And this is the announcement which we have heard from him, and which we announce to you: that God is light, and in him there is no darkness.
6 If we claim that we have fellowship with him, and yet we walk in darkness, then we are lying and not telling the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, just as he also is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim that we have no sin, then we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, then he is faithful and just, so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.
10 If we claim that we have not sinned, then we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us.
