Wisdom and human knowledge
(James 4:13-17)
1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the future day may bring.
2
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth: an outsider, and not your own lips.
3
A stone is weighty, and sand is burdensome; but the wrath of the foolish is heavier than both.
4
Anger holds no mercy, nor does fury when it erupts. And who can bear the assault of one who has been provoked?
5
An open rebuke is better than hidden love.
6
The wounds of a loved one are better than the deceitful kisses of a hateful one.
7
A sated soul will trample the honeycomb. And a hungry soul will accept even bitter in place of sweet.
8
Just like a bird migrating from her nest, so also is a man who abandons his place.
9
Ointment and various perfumes delight the heart. And the good advice of a friend is sweet to the soul.
10
Do not dismiss your friend or your father’s friend. And do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your affliction. A close neighbor is better than a distant brother.
11
My son, study wisdom, and rejoice my heart, so that you may be able to respond to the one who reproaches.
12
The discerning man, seeing evil, hides himself. The little ones, continuing on, sustain losses.
13
Take away the garment of him who has vouched for an outsider. And take a pledge from him on behalf of foreigners.
14
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a grand voice, rising in the night, shall be like one who curses.
15
A roof leaking on a cold day, and an argumentative woman, are comparable.
16
He who would restrain her, he is like one who would grasp the wind, or who would gather together oil with his right hand.
The discontent of man
17
Iron sharpens iron, and a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
18
Whoever maintains the fig tree shall eat its fruit. And whoever is the keeper of his master shall be glorified.
19
In the manner of faces looking into shining water, so are the hearts of men made manifest to the prudent.
20
Hell and perdition are never filled; similarly the eyes of men are insatiable.
21
In the manner of silver being tested in the refinery, and gold in the furnace, so also is a man tested by the mouth of one who praises. The heart of the iniquitous inquires after evils, but the heart of the righteous inquires after knowledge.
22
Even if you were to crush the foolish with a mortar, as when a pestle strikes over pearled barley, his foolishness would not be taken from him.
23
Be diligent to know the countenance of your cattle, and consider your own flocks,
24
for you will not always hold this power. But a crown shall be awarded from generation to generation.
25
The meadows are open, and the green plants have appeared, and the hay has been collected from the mountains.
26
Lambs are for your clothing, and goats are for the price of a field.
27
Let the milk of goats be sufficient for your food, and for the necessities of your household, and for the provisions of your handmaids.