Chapter XI.
Moreover, it is a righteous thing to give (to the
needy) of thy bread, and of those things which are necessary for the
support of man’s life. For though thou seemest forthwith to
waste it upon some persons, as if thou didst cast thy bread upon the
water, yet in the progress of time thy kindness shall be seen to be not
unprofitable for thee. Also give liberally, and give a portion of
thy means to many; for thou knowest not what the coming day
doeth. The clouds, again, do not keep back their plenteous rains,
but discharge their showers upon the earth. Nor does a tree stand
for ever; but even though men may spare it, it shall be overturned by
the wind at any rate. But many desire also to know beforehand
what is to come from the heavens; and there have been those who,
scrutinizing the clouds and waiting for the wind, have had nought to do
with reaping and winnowing, putting their trust in vanity, and being
all incapable of knowing aught of what may come from God in the future;
just as men cannot tell what the woman with child shall bring
forth. But sow thou in season, and thus reap thy fruits whenever
the time for that comes on. For it is not manifest what shall be
better than those among all natural things.112
| 112
ὁποῖα αὐτῶν
ἔσται ἀμείνω
τῶν φυέντων,
perhaps = "which" of those natural productions shall be the better. |
Would, indeed, that all things turned
out well! Truly, when a man considers with himself that the sun
is good, and that this
life is sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing
to have many years wherein one can
delight himself continually, and that
death is a
terror
and an
endless evil, and a thing that brings us to nought, he thinks
that he ought to
enjoy himself in all the present and apparent
pleasures of
life. And he gives this
counsel also to the young,
that they should use to the uttermost
113
the
season of their
youth, by giving up
their minds to all manner of
pleasure, and indulge their passions, and
do all that seemeth good in their own
eyes, and look upon that which
delighteth, and avert themselves from that which is not so. But
to such a man I shall say this much: Senseless art thou, my
friend, in that thou dost not look for the
judgment that shall come
from
God upon all these things. And profligacy and
licentiousness
are
evil, and the
filthy wantonness of our bodies carries
death in
it. For folly attends on youth, and folly leads to
destruction.
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