1 O death, how bitter is the memory of you To a man at peace with his possessions, To a man without distractions and prosperous in every thing, And still strong enough to enjoy his food.
2 O death, your judgment is good To the man in need and failing in strength In his extreme old age, distracted by every thing, And stubborn and short on patience.
3 Do not fear the judgment of death; Remember those before you and after you.
4 This is the judgment from the Lord to all flesh, And how can you reject the good pleasure of the Most High? Whether you lived ten or a hundred or a thousand years, There is in Hades no inquiry into your life.
5 The children of sinners are loathsome children, And they frequent the dwellings of the ungodly.
6 The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish, And with their seed the disgrace will continue.
7 The children will blame their godless father, For because of him they will be denounced.
8 Woe to you, the ungodly men Who forsook the law of God Most High.
9 And when you are born, you will be born to a curse, And when you die, your portion will be a curse.
10 Whatever is from the earth shall return to the earth, So the ungodly go from a curse to destruction.
11 The mourning of men is about their bodies, But the evil name of sinners will be blotted out.
12 Have regard for your name, For it will remain with you longer Than a thousand great chests of gold.
13 The days of a good life are numbered, But a good name will remain forever.
14 Observe instruction and live in peace, my children, But hidden wisdom and invisible treasure What benefit are these?
15 A man who hides his foolishness Is better than a man who hides his wisdom. Shame, Proper and Improper
16 Therefore, be ashamed on the basis of my word, For it is not good to protect every kind of shame, And not every thing is highly esteemed by all with confidence.
17 Be ashamed of fornication before father or mother; Of a lie before your leader or ruler;
18 Of an offense before a judge or ruler; Of lawlessness before the assembly of the people;
19 Of wrongdoing before your partner or friend; Of theft in the place where you dwell.
20 Be ashamed before the truth of God and His covenant, And of bad manners at the table;
21 Of contemptuous behavior in receiving and giving; Of silence before those who greet you;
22 Of looking at a prostitute; Of rejecting the appeal of a kinsman;
23 Of carrying off someone's portion or gift, And of staring at another man's wife;
24 Of meddling with his maid servant — And do not come near her bed.
25 Be ashamed of insulting words before friends, And do not be insulting after making a gift;
26 Of repeating and telling what you hear And revealing secrets.
27 So be truly modest And find favor before every man.