1. O HOW beautiful is the chaste generation with glorie: for the memorie therof is immortal: because it is knowen both with God, and with men.
2. When it is present, they imitate it, and they desire it when it hath withdrawen itself, and it trumpheth crowned for euer, winning the reward of vndefiled conflictes.
3. But the multitude of the impious, that hath manie children, shal not be profitable, and bastarde plants shal not take deepe roote, nor lay sure fundation.
4. And if in the boughes for a time they shal spring being weakly set, they shal be moued of the winde, and by the vegemencie of the windes they shal be rooted out.
5. For the vnperfect boughes shal be broken, and their fruites shal be vnprofitable, and sowre to eate, and meete for nothing.
6. For the children that be borne of wicked sleepes, are witnesses of wickednes against the parents in their examination.
7. But the iust if he be preuented with death, shal be in a place of refreshing.
8. For venerable oldage is not that of long time, not accounted by the number of yeares: but the vnderstanding of a man are grey heares:
9. and an immaculate life is oldage.
10. Pleasing God he is made beloued, and liuing among sinners he was translated.
11. He was taken away lest malice should change his vnderstanding, or lest anie guile might deceiue his soule.
12. For the bewitching of vanitie obserueth good thinges, and the inconstancie of concupiscence peruerteth the vnderstanding that is without malice.
13. Being consummate in short space he fulfilled much time:
14. for his soule pleased God: for this cause he hastened to bring him out of the middes of iniquities: but the peoples that are seing, and not vnderstanding, nor putting such thinges in their hartes:
15. that the grace of God, and mercie is toward his saintes, and respect toward his elect.
16. But the iust dead condemneth the impious aliue, and youth soone ended, the long life of the vniust.
17. For they shal see the end of the wise, and shal not vnderstand what God hath thought of him, and why our Lord hath fensed him.
18. For the shal see and shal contemne him: but our Lord shal laugh them to scorne,
19. and they shal fal after this without honour, and in contumelie among the dead for euer: because he shal breake them puffed vp without voice, and shal remoue them from the fundations, and they shal be made desolate vnto the highest degree: and shal be moorning, and the memorie of them shal perish.
20. They shal come feareful in cogitation of their sinnes, and their iniquities on the contrarie shal conuince them.