11:1
Wisdom enables the poor to stand erect, and gives to the poor a place with the great.
11:2
Do not praise anyone for good looks, nor dislike anyone for mere appearance.
11:3
Small among winged creatures is the bee but her produce is the sweetest of the sweet.
11:4
Do not grow proud when people honour you; for the works of the Lord are wonderful but hidden from human beings.
11:5
Many monarchs have been made to sit on the ground, and the person nobody thought of has worn the crown.
11:6
Many influential people have been utterly disgraced, and prominent people have fallen into the power of others.
11:7
Do not find fault before making thorough enquiry; first reflect, then give a reprimand.
11:8
Listen before you answer, and do not interrupt a speech before it is finished.
11:9
Do not wrangle about something that does not concern you, do not interfere in the quarrels of sinners.
11:10
My child, do not take on a great amount of business; if you multiply your interests, you are bound to suffer for it; hurry as fast as you can, yet you will never arrive, nor will you escape by running away.
11:11
Some people work very hard at top speed, only to find themselves falling further behind.
11:12
Or there is the slow kind of person, needing help, poor in possessions and rich in poverty; and the Lord turns a favourable eye on him, lifts him out of his wretched condition,
11:13
and enables him to hold his head high, thus causing general astonishment.
11:14
Good and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, all come from the Lord.
11:15
11:16
11:17
To the devout the Lord's gift remains constant, and his favour will be there to lead them for ever.
11:18
Others grow rich by pinching and scraping, and here is the reward they receive for it:
11:19
although they say, 'Now I can sit back and enjoy the benefit of what I have got,' they do not know how long this will last; they will have to leave their goods to others and die.
11:20
Stick to your job, work hard at it and grow old at your work.
11:21
Do not admire the achievements of sinners, trust the Lord and mind your own business; since it is a trifle in the eyes of the Lord, in a moment, suddenly to make the poor rich.
11:22
The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the devout, in a moment God brings his blessing to flower.
11:23
Do not say, 'What are my needs, how much shall I have in the future?'
11:24
And do not say, 'I am self-sufficient, what disaster can affect me now?'
11:25
In prosperous times, disasters are forgotten and in times of disaster, no one remembers prosperity.
11:26
Yet it is a trifle for the Lord on the day someone dies to repay him as his conduct deserves.
11:27
A moment's adversity, and pleasures are forgotten; in a person's last hour his deeds will stand revealed.
11:28
Call no one fortunate before his death; it is by his end that someone will be known.
11:29
Do not bring everyone home with you, for many are the traps of the crafty.
11:30
Like a captive partridge in a cage, so is the heart of the proud: like a spy he watches for your downfall,
11:31
ever on the look-out, turning good into bad and finding fault with what is praiseworthy.
11:32
A hearthful of glowing coals starts from a single spark, and the sinner lurks for the chance to spill blood.
11:33
Beware of a scoundrel and his evil contrivances, in case he puts a smear on you for ever.
11:34
Give a home to a stranger and he will start trouble and estrange you from your own family.
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