¹They will seek out the wisdom

of all the ancestors,

and they will be occupied

with prophecies.

²They will preserve the stories

of famous people,

and they will penetrate

the subtle turns of parables.

³They will seek out

the hidden meanings of proverbs,

and will live with the puzzles of parables.

⁴They will serve among the great

and appear before rulers.

They will travel in foreign lands,

because they will test what’s good

and what’s evil in people.

⁵They will commit themselves to rise early,

and to pray to the Most High.

⁶If the great Lord is willing,

they will pour forth words of wisdom,

⁷Their reasoning and knowledge

will remain on course,

and they will ponder God’s mysteries.

⁸They will bring to light

the learning of their instruction,

and they will make the laws

of the Lord’s covenant their boast.

⁹Many will praise their understanding,

and it will never be forgotten.

The remembrance of them

will never disappear,

and their name will live

for generations upon generations.

¹⁰The nations will speak of their wisdom,

and the congregation

will proclaim their praise.

¹¹If they live a long time,

they will leave behind a name

greater than a thousand names,

and if they find rest,

it will be enough for them.

Praise of the creator

¹²I’ll speak of other things

I’ve been thinking,

since I was filled like the full moon.

¹³Listen to me, faithful children,

and blossom

like a rose growing near

a running stream.

¹⁴Send forth a fragrant aroma like incense,

and bloom with blossoms like a lily.

Raise your voice, give praise together,

and bless the Lord for all his works.

¹⁵Tell of the greatness of his name,

and give thanks when you praise him

And this is what you will say

when you give thanks:

¹⁶All the works of the Lord are very good.

Every command of his

will be carried out in its proper time.

¹⁷It’s not for us to say,

“What’s this?” or

“For what purpose is that?”

Everything will be examined

at its proper time.

At his command water piled up in a heap,

and by his spoken word

reservoirs of water stood erect.

¹⁸His command accomplishes

his good pleasure,

and no one can diminish

the deliverance he intends.

¹⁹The works of all living beings

are before him;

nothing can hide from his eyes.

²⁰He sees from one end of eternity

to the other,

and nothing is too wondrous for him.

²¹It’s not for us to say,

“What’s this?” or

“For what purpose is that?”

All things were created

for their own purpose.

²²His blessing covers like a river

and soaks the dry land like a flood.

²³Similarly, his anger will overtake

the nations,

as he changed fresh waters into brine.

²⁴For the godly, his paths are straight,

but for the lawless,

there are obstacles.

²⁵From the beginning, good things

have been made for good people,

but bad things for sinners.

²⁶Basic to all the necessities of human life

are water, fire, iron, salt,

fine flour, milk, honey,

wine, oil, and clothing.

²⁷For the godly,

all these things are for good,

but for sinners, they will turn into evil.

²⁸There are winds that have been created

for vengeance,

and they whip with strength

in their wrath.

At the moment of consummation,

they will pour out their strength,

and they will calm the wrath

of their maker.

²⁹Fire, hail, famine, and death—

all have been created for vengeance—

³⁰the teeth of wild beasts, scorpions, vipers, and a sword

punishing the ungodly

with destruction.

³¹These things gladly do

what he commands.

They will be ready for his service

on the earth,

and they won’t violate his word

when their time comes.

³²Because of this,

I’ve been steadfast from the beginning:

I’ve thought things out

and left them in writing.

³³All the works of the Lord are good,

and he will supply every need in its time.

³⁴It’s not for us to say,

“This is worse than that,”

since everything will prove its worth

at the proper moment.

³⁵And now, sing hymns

with all your heart and voice,

and bless the Lord’s name.