1 Vain hopes and lying belong to a man without understanding, And dreams give wing to senseless men.
2 Like him who grasps after shadows and chases the wind, So is he who pays attention to dreams.
3 The vision of dreams is this against that, The likeness of a face opposite a face.
4 What will be cleansed from an unclean thing? And what will be true from a false thing?
5 Divinations, omens, and dreams are worthless; And like a woman in the pains of childbirth, The heart becomes visible.
6 Unless visions are sent from the Most High in a visitation, Do not give your heart to them.
7 For dreams have deceived many, And those who hope in them have fallen away.
8 Without such lying, the law will be fulfilled, And wisdom is perfection in the mouth of the faithful.
9 A man who has traveled about knows many things, And a man with much experience will speak with understanding.
10 A man who has not been tested knows little, But he who has traveled about increases his astuteness.
11 I have seen many things in my travels, And my understanding is more than I can express in words.
12 I have frequently been in danger of death, But I have been saved because of these experiences.
13 The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live, For their hope is in Him who saves them.
14 He who fears the Lord will fear nothing, And he will not be cowardly, for the Lord is his hope.
15 Blessed is the soul of a man who fears the Lord. To whom does he look? And who is his support?
16 The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love Him. He is a powerful protection and a strong support: A shelter from the burning heat, A shelter from the noonday sun, A guard from stumbling, And help from a fall.
17 He raises up the soul And gives light to the eyes. He gives healing, life, and blessing.
18 If a man sacrifices by means of wrongdoing, The offering is a mockery, And the gifts of the lawless are not accepted.
19 The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly, And a man does not atone for his sins with a multitude of sacrifices.
20 He who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor Is like one who kills a son in the sight of his father.
21 The bread of the needy is the life of the poor. He who deprives them of it is a man of bloodshed.
22 Whoever takes away his neighbor's livelihood murders him, And whoever deprives a hired worker of his wages sheds his blood.
23 If one builds up while another tears down, What do they profit other than toil?
24 If one prays while another curses, Whose voice will the Lord hear?
25 If a man washes himself after touching a corpse, Then touches it again, What does he profit by his washing?
26 So it is with a man who fasts over his sins And goes and does the same sins all over again. Who will hear his prayer? What does his humbling profit him?