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¹ Be not thou enuious to folow wicked men, and desire not to be among them:² For their heart imagineth to do hurt, and their lippes talke mischiefe.

³ Thorowe wysdome is an house buylded, & with vnderstanding is it set vp.⁴ Thorowe discretion shall the chaumbers be filled with all costly and pleasaunt riches.⁵ A wise man is [euer] strong: yea a man of vnderstanding increaseth strength.⁶ For with discretion must warres be taken in hand: and where as are many that can geue counsaile, there is health.

⁷ Wysdome is to hye a thyng for a foole: for he dare not open his mouth in the gate.⁸ He that imagineth mischiefe, maye well be called an vngratious person.⁹ The wicked thought of the foolishe is sinne: and the scornefull is an abhomination vnto men.

¹⁰ If thou be faynt in the day of aduersitie, thy strength is small.

¹¹ Deliuer them that are drawen vnto death, and ceasse not to preserue them that are led to be slayne:¹² If thou wylt say, beholde I knewe not of it: doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that kepeth thy soule, knoweth he it not? Shall not he also recompence euery man according to his workes?

¹³ My sonne, eate thou hony because it is good, and the hony combe, for it is sweete vnto thy mouth:¹⁴ So [sweete] shal the knowledge of wysdome be vnto thy soule when thou hast found it: and there shalbe hope, and thy hope shall not be cut of.

¹⁵ Laye no priuie wayte (O wicked man) against the house of the righteous, and spoyle not his resting place.¹⁶ For a iust man falleth seuen tymes, and ryseth vp agayne: but the vngodly fall into mischiefe.

¹⁷ Reioyce not thou at the fall of thyne enemie, and let not thyne heart be glad when he stumbleth:¹⁸ Lest the Lorde when he seeth it be angry, and turne his wrath from hym [vnto thee.]

¹⁹ Fret not thy selfe because of the malitious, neither be enuious at the wicked:²⁰ For the wicked shall haue no posteritie, and the candle of the vngodly shalbe put out.

²¹ My sonne, feare thou the Lorde and the kyng, and kepe no company with them that slide backe [from his feare:]²² For their destruction shall rise sodainlye: and who knoweth the aduersitie that may come from them both?

²³ It is not good to haue respect of any person in iudgement.²⁴ He that saith to the vngodly thou art righteous, hym shall the people curse, yea the comminaltie shall abhorre him:²⁵ But they that rebuke [the vngodly] in them doth God delight, and a rych blessing shall come vpon them.²⁶ Euery man shall kisse his lippes that geueth a good aunswere.

²⁷ Make redie thy worke that is without, and looke well vnto that whiche thou hast in the fielde: and then buylde thyne house.

²⁸ Be not a false witnesse against thy neighbour, and speake no falsehood with thy lippes.²⁹ Say not, I wyll handle hym euen as he hath dealt with me: and wyll rewarde euery man according to his deedes.

³⁰ I went by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the foolishe man:³¹ And lo, it was all couered with nettles, and stoode full of thornes, and the stone wall was broken downe.³² This I sawe, and considered it well: I looked vpon it, and toke it for a warning.³³ Yea sleepe on styll [I say] a litle, slumber a litle, folde thy handes together yet a litle:³⁴ So shall pouertie come vnto thee as one that trauayleth by the way, and necessitie lyke a weaponed man.