1 How different is the man who devotes himself To the study of the law of the Most High. He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients And be occupied with their prophecies.
2 He will preserve the discourse of notable men And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
3 He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs And be engaged in the riddles of parables.
4 He will serve in the midst of great men And will appear before rulers. He will travel through the land of foreign nations And test the good and evil among men.
5 He will give his heart to rising early Before the Lord who created him, And will make supplication to the Most High; And he will open his mouth in prayer And make supplication for his sins.
6 If the great Lord wills, He will be filled with the Spirit of understanding. He will pour forth words of His wisdom, And in prayer he will give thanks to the Lord.
7 He will direct his counsel and knowledge aright, And he will reflect on His hidden things.
8 He will reveal instruction in his teaching And boast in the law of the Lord's covenant.
9 Many will praise his understanding, And it will never be blotted out. His memory will not disappear, And his name will live through all generations.
10 Nations will proclaim his wisdom, And the assembly will proclaim his praise.
11 If he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand, And if he goes to his rest, his work is completed.
12 I have yet more to tell, and I will describe it in detail; For I am filled like a full moon.
13 So hear me, O holy sons, And bud forth like a rose Springing up by a running stream.
14 Like frankincense, em it a sweet fragrance, And blossom forth like a lily. Send forth a fragrance And sing a hymn of praise. Bless the Lord in all His works;
15 Ascribe majesty to His name And give thanks to Him in praise, With songs on your lips and with lyres; And thus you shall say in thanksgiving:
16 “All things are the works of the Lord, For they are exceedingly good. And every command shall be in His appointed time.” No one cay say , “What is this? Why is that?” For every question will be answered in His appointed time.
17 By His word the waters stood as a heap And the reservoirs of the waters by the word of His mouth.
18 By His command all His good pleasure is done, And no one will diminish His salvation.
19 The works of all flesh are before Him, And nothing can be hidden from His eyes.
20 From age to age He looks upon them, And nothing is marvelous to Him.
21 No one can say, “What is this? Why is that?” For all things were created for their uses.
22 His blessing covers the dry land like a river And drenches it like a flood.
23 As He turns fresh waters into salt, So the heathen will inherit His wrath.
24 As His ways are straight to the holy, So they are an occasion of stumbling to the lawless.
25 As from the beginning good things were created for the good, So evil things for sinners.
26 The basic needs of a man's life Are water, fire, iron, salt, and wheat flour, And milk, honey, the blood of the grape, olive oil, and clothing.
27 As all these things are good for the godly, So they turn into evil for sinners.
28 There are spirits created for vengeance, And in His anger they strengthen their scourges. In the time of consummation they will pour out their might And appease the wrath of Him who made them.
29 Fire, hail, famine, and death: All these things are created for vengeance.
30 The teeth of wild animals, scorpions and snakes, And the avenging sword that drives the ungodly to destruction
31 They shall be glad at His commandment And be prepared for His service on earth; And when their times come, they will not transgress His word.
32 Therefore from the beginning I was determined and resolved, And left this in writing:
33 All the works of the Lord are good, And He will supply every need in its hour.
34 No one can say, “This is worse than that,” For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
35 So now sing praise with all your heart and voice, And bless the name of the Lord.