⁷ Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate.

⁶ A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and `findeth it' not; But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.

⁵ His ways are firm at all times; Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.

¹⁴ Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.

¹⁵ Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

¹² For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins-ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate `from their right'.

¹⁰ They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

²¹ that make a man an offender in `his' cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nought.

⁸ Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate.

⁹ Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.

²² Rob not the poor, because he is poor; Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

²⁴ Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

²⁴ To the wise the way of life `goeth' upward, That he may depart from Sheol beneath.

⁵ How great are thy works, O Jehovah! Thy thoughts are very deep.

⁶ A brutish man knoweth not; Neither doth a fool understand this:

²¹ If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate:

⁷ When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,

⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;

⁹ The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;

¹⁰ The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹ For when the ear heard `me', then it blessed me; And when the eye saw `me', it gave witness unto me:

¹² Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.

¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.

¹⁶ I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

¹⁷ And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.

¹⁸ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand:

¹⁹ My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;

²⁰ My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.

²¹ Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

²² After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.

²³ And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide `as' for the latter rain.

²⁴ I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.

²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat `as' chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.

⁴ His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them: