9  Listen, O Israel, to the commandments of life! Pay attention, so that you may learn prudence!

9  Hear, Israel, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom.

10  How is it, O Israel, that you are in the land of your enemies,

10  How happeneth it Israel, that thou art in thine enemies’ land, that thou art waxen old in a strange country, that thou art defiled with the dead,

11  that you have grown old in a foreign land, that you are defiled with the dead, that you are regarded as among those who are descending into hell?

11  That thou art counted with them that go down into the grave?

12  You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.

13  For if you had walked in the way of God, you would certainly have lived in everlasting peace.

13  For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever.

14  Learn where prudence is, where virtue is, where understanding is, so that you may know at the same time where long life and prosperity are, where the light of the eyes and peace are.

15  Who has discovered its place? And who has entered its treasure chamber?

15  Who hath found out her place? or who hath come into her treasures?

16  Where are the leaders of the peoples, and those who rule over the beasts that are upon the earth,

17  who play among the birds of the air,

17  They that had their pastime with the fowls of the air, and they that hoarded up silver and gold, wherein men trust, and made no end of their getting?

18  who store up treasures of silver and gold, in which men trust, and with whom there is no end to their acquiring, who work with silver and are anxious about it, and whose works are inexplicable?

18  For they that wrought in silver, and were so careful, and whose works are unsearchable,

19  They have been banished and have descended to hell, and others are risen up in their place.

19  They are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others are come up in their steads.

20  The youth have seen the light and have dwelt upon the earth, yet they are ignorant of the way of instruction.

20  Young men have seen light, and dwelt upon the earth: but the way of knowledge have they not known,

21  They have neither understood the paths of it, nor have their sons accepted it. It is far from their face.

21  Nor understood the paths thereof, nor laid hold of it: their children were far off from that way.

22  It has not been heard of in the land of Canaan, nor has it been seen in Teman.

22  It hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman.

23  It is likewise with the sons of Hagar, who search for the practicality that is of the earth, the negotiators of Merran and Teman, and the storytellers, and the searchers of discretion and intelligence. Yet the way of wisdom they have not known, nor have they called to mind its paths.

23  The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors of fables, and searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remember her paths.

24  O Israel, how great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of his possession!

25  It is great and has no end! It is exalted and immense!

25  Great, and hath none end; high, and unmeasurable.

26  There were those who were called giants, who existed from the beginning, of great stature, expert in war.

27  The Lord did not choose them, nor did they discover the way of instruction; for this reason they perished,

27  Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them

28  and, because they did not have wisdom, they passed away as a result of their foolishness.

28  But they were destroyed, because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness.

29  Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?

30  Who has crossed the sea, and found her, and brought her, chosen instead of gold?

30  Who hath gone over the sea, and found her, and will bring her for pure gold?

31  There is no one who is able to know her ways, nor any who can search out her paths.

31  No man knoweth her way, nor thinketh of her path.

32  Yet he who knows the universe is familiar with her, and in his foresight he invented her, he who prepared the earth for time without end, and filled it with cattle and four-footed beasts,

32  But he that knoweth all things knoweth her, and hath found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore hath filled it with fourfooted beasts

33  who sends out the light, and it goes, and who summoned it, and it obeyed him in fear.

33  He that sendeth forth light, and it goeth, calleth it again, and it obeyeth him with fear.

34  Yet the stars have given light from their posts, and they rejoiced.

35  They were called, and so they said, “Here we are,” and they shined with cheerfulness to him who made them.

34  The stars shined in their watches, and rejoiced: when he calleth them, they say, Here we be; and so with cheerfulness they shewed light unto him that made them.

35  This is our God, and no other can compare to him.

36  He invented the way of all instruction, and delivered it to Jacob his child, and to Israel his beloved.

36  He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved.

37  After this, he was seen on earth, and he conversed with men.

37  Afterward did he shew himself upon earth, and conversed with men.

4:1  “ ‘This is the book of the commandments of God and of the law, which exists in eternity. All those who keep it will attain to life, but those who have forsaken it, to death.

Bar4:1  This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endureth for ever: all they that keep it shall come to life; but such as leave it shall die.

4:2  Convert, O Jacob, and embrace it, walk in the way of its splendor, facing its light.

Bar4:2  Turn thee, O Jacob, and take hold of it: walk in the presence of the light thereof, that thou mayest be illuminated.

4:3  Do not surrender your glory to another, nor your value to a foreign people.

Bar4:3  Give not thine honour to another, nor the things that are profitable unto thee to a strange nation.

4:4  We have been happy, O Israel, because the things that are pleasing to God have been made clear to us.

Bar4:4  O Israel, happy are we: for things that are pleasing to God are made known unto us.