Proper Attitudes toward Wealth

¹Losing sleep over wealth wears out the body,

and anxiety about it drives away rest.

²Sleepless worry prevents a person from resting,

and a severe illness steals away sleep.

³The rich struggle to amass a fortune,

and when they relax, they enjoy luxury.

⁴The poor struggle to barely make a living,

and if they ever rest, they become poor.

⁵Those who love gold will not be regarded as righteous,

and those who pursue wealth will be led astray by it.

⁶Many have come to ruin because of gold

and come face to face with destruction.

⁷Gold causes those who are devoted to it to stumble;

every fool gets tripped up by it.

⁸Blessed are the rich who are found blameless

and do not chase after gold.

⁹Who are they? We want to praise them,

for they have achieved wonderful things among their people.

¹⁰Who have been tested in this way and found perfect?

Let them boast about it.

Who could have sinned and chose not to do so?

Who could have done evil but did not do it?

¹¹They will be made secure in their wealth,

and the congregation will praise their acts of charity.

Practicing Temperance

¹²Are you seated at a grand table?

Don’t show that you are greedy,

and don’t say, “There is so much here to eat!”

¹³Remember that a greedy eye is evil.

Is anything in creation more greedy than the eye?

That is why it cries so easily.

¹⁴Don’t reach for everything you see,

and don’t crowd the one sitting next to you at a meal.

¹⁵Be considerate of your neighbors’ feelings by thinking about how you would feel,

and be thoughtful in everything.

¹⁶Show your good upbringing as you eat what is set before you.

Don’t gorge yourself, or you will offend someone.

¹⁷Be the first to stop eating, as good manners demand,

and don’t be a glutton, or you will offend someone.

¹⁸And if you are sitting with many people,

don’t be the first to reach for the food.

¹⁹Well-disciplined people are more than satisfied with only a little food.

They have no trouble breathing when they lie in bed.

²⁰Moderate eating ensures sound sleep.

Those who practice it rise early and feel well.

But sleeplessness, nausea, and colic

cause distress for the glutton.

²¹If you eat too much,

go vomit, and you will be relieved.

²²Listen to me, my child, and don’t ignore me,

and in the end you will find my words to be true.

Practice moderation in all you do,

and you will never get sick.

²³People bless those who are generous with food,

and their testimony to such generosity can be trusted.

²⁴But the whole city complains about those who are stingy with food,

and their testimony to such selfishness is accurate.

²⁵Do not try to prove your strength by drinking wine,

for wine has destroyed many.

²⁶As fire tests metal,

so wine tests people’s hearts when braggarts begin to argue.

²⁷Wine gives a person life

if it is drunk in moderation.

What is life without wine?

It was created to make people happy.

²⁸Wine drunk with moderation at appropriate times

gives joy to the heart and soul.

²⁹Wine drunk to excess produces bitter attitudes,

quarrels, and brawls.

³⁰Drunkenness fuels the anger of a fool to his own harm,

sapping his strength and causing wounds.

³¹Don’t correct your neighbor at a banquet,

and don’t mock him when he is enjoying himself.

Don’t say anything nasty to him

or pressure him for anything.