13 How great is he who has found wisdom! but he is not higher than he who fears the Lord.

14 The fear of the Lord surpasses all things, and with whom can he who has it be compared?

The Hymn of Wisdom is a separate part of the Book of Job, although it was probably written by the same author. Jesus, the son of Sirach, one of the Jewish sages, a poet who lived in the second century B.C. His book is one of the non-canonical writings of the Old Testament (translated into Russian in prose).

2. The law is the basis of life (Psalm 1, 18, 36, 48, 72, 11, 127)

1 Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, 2 but in the law of the Lord is his will, and in his law he meditateth day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and in everything he does, he will succeed. 4 Not so, the wicked; but they are like dust swept up by the wind. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.

1 To the head of the choir. Psalm of David. 2 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament declares the works of his hands. 3 The day conveys speech to the day, and the night of the night reveals knowledge. 4 There is no tongue, and there is no tongue where their voice is not heard. 5 Their sound goes through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. He hath made in them a dwelling place for the sun, 6 and it comes out like a bridegroom out of his bridal chamber, rejoices like a giant, to run the race: 7 From the end of the heavens is his departure, and his going to the end of them, and nothing is hidden from his warmth. 8 The law of the Lord is perfect, it strengthens the soul; the revelation of the Lord is true, it makes the simple wise. 9 The commandments of the Lord are righteous, they rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. 10 The fear of the Lord is pure, endureth for ever. The judgments of the Lord are true, all are righteous; 11 They are more desirable than gold, and even more pure gold, sweeter than honey and drops of honeycomb; 12 And thy servant is guarded by them: in keeping them is a great reward. 13 Who can see his faults? Cleanse me from my secrets, 14 and keep Thy servant from the deliberate, lest they prevail over me. Then I will be blameless and pure from great corruption. 15 May the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my stronghold and my Deliverer.

1 Psalm of David. Do not be jealous of evildoers, do not envy those who do iniquity, 2 for they will soon be cut down like grass, and like green grass they will wither. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Live on earth and keep the truth. 4 Delight in the Lord, and he will fulfill the desires of your heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust in him, and he shall accomplish, 6 and bring forth thy righteousness as light, and thy justice as the noonday. 7 Submit to the Lord and trust in Him. Do not be jealous of him who succeeds in his journey, a man who is deceitful. 8 Cease to be angry, and give up wrath; Do not be jealous to do evil, 9 for those who do evil will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will inherit the earth. 10 A little while, and the wicked shall be no more; you look at his place, and he is gone. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall enjoy the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnasheth his teeth against him: 13 but the Lord laugheth at him, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw their sword, and draw their bow, to bring down the poor and the needy, to pierce them that go in the straight way: 15 Their sword shall enter into their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken. 16 The little of the righteous is better than the riches of many of the wicked, 17 for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord strengthens the righteous. 18 The Lord knoweth the days of the blameless, and their inheritance shall endure for ever: 19 they shall not be ashamed in the time of trouble, neither shall they be satisfied in the days of famine; 20 but the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall perish like the fat of lambs, in smoke they shall vanish. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous have mercy and give, 22 for those who are blessed by Him will inherit the earth, but those who are cursed by Him will be destroyed. 23 The feet of such a man are strengthened by the Lord, and he is pleased with his way: 24 when he falls, he will not fall, for the Lord supports him by the hand. 25 I was young and old, and I did not see the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging for bread: 26 he is merciful all the day, and lends money, and his seed will be a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil, and do good, and you will live forever: 28 for the Lord loves righteousness, and does not forsake his saints; they will be preserved forever; and the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous will inherit the earth and will live in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue speaketh righteousness. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; His feet shall not be moved. 32 The wicked one spies on the righteous, and seeks to put him to death; 33 but the Lord will not deliver him into his hand, nor will he suffer him to be accused when he is judged. 34 Trust in the Lord, and hold fast to his way: and he will exalt thee, that thou mayest inherit the earth; and when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see. 35 I saw a terrible wicked man, expanding like a tree rooted with many branches; 36 but he has passed away, and behold, he is gone; I look for it and do not find it. 37 Observe the blameless, and behold the righteous, for the future of such a man is peace; 38 but the wicked shall all be cut off; the future of the wicked will perish. 39 From the Lord is the salvation of the righteous, he is their protection in time of trouble; 40 and the Lord shall help them, and deliver them; He will deliver them from the wicked and save them, for they trust in Him.

1 To the head of the choir. The sons of Korah. Psalm. 2 Hear these things, all ye nations; Take heed of this, all ye that dwell in the world, 3 both the simple and the noble, the rich as well as the poor. 4 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditations of my heart shall be knowledge. 5 I will incline my ear to the parable, and with the harp I will reveal my riddle: 6 "Why should I fear in the days of trouble, when the iniquity of my ways shall surround me?" 7 Those who trust in their strength, and boast in the abundance of their riches! 8 A man shall not redeem his brother in any way, nor give God a ransom for him: 9 the price of the redemption of their souls is precious, and it shall never be, 10 that any man shall live for ever, and not see the grave. 11 Everyone sees that the wise also die, as well as the ignorant and the senseless perish, and leave their goods to others. 12 And in their thoughts are that their houses are eternal, and that their dwellings are for generations and generations, and their lands they call by their names. 13 But a man shall not abide in honor; he will be like animals that perish. 14 This is their way of foolishness, though those who follow them approve of their opinion. 15 Like sheep, they shall shut them up in hell; death will feed them, and in the morning the righteous will have dominion over them; their strength will be exhausted; the grave is their dwelling. 16 But God will deliver my soul from the power of hell, when he receives me. 17 Fear not, when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house increases: 18 for when he dieth he shall take nothing; His glory will not follow him; 19 Though in life he delights his soul, and they praise thee that thou satisfies thyself, 20 yet he shall go to the generation of his fathers, who shall never see the light. 21 A man who is honorable and foolish is like animals that perish.

1 Psalm of Asaph. How good God is to Israel, to the pure in heart! 2 But I, my feet were almost shaken, my feet were almost slipped, 3 I envied the fools, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, 4 for they have no affliction until their death, and their strength is strong; 5 In the work of man they are not, neither are they struck with other men. 6 Wherefore pride as a necklace hath encircled them, and boldness as a garment clotheth them; 7 Their eyes are rolled out of fat, thoughts wander in their hearts; 8 they mock everything, they spout slander, they speak from above; 9 They lift up their mouths to heaven, and their tongue walks on the earth. 10 Wherefore His people turn thither, and drink water full of water, 11 and say, 'How shall God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?" 12 And behold, these wicked ones prosper in this world, multiplying riches. 13 Have I not cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence, 14 and subjected myself to wounds all day long, and chastisement every morning? 15 But if I were to say, 'I will reason thus,' I should be guilty before the offspring of thy sons. 16 And I thought how to understand these things, but it was difficult in my eyes, 17 until I entered into the sanctuary of God, and understood their end. E-18 Yes! Thou hast set them on slippery paths, and hast cast them into the abyss. 19 How accidentally they came to ruin, vanished, perished from terrors! 20 As a dream after waking up, so thou, O Lord, when thou awakest them, shalt destroy their dreams. 21 When my heart was boiling, and my inward parts were tormented, 22 then I was ignorant, and did not understand; I was like cattle before you. 23 But I am always with you: you hold me by the right hand; 24 Thou hast guided me by thy counsel, and afterwards thou shalt receive me into glory. 25 Who am I in heaven? and with Thee I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart are faint: God is the stronghold of my heart, and my portion for ever. 27 For behold, they that keep themselves away from thee perish; Thou destroyest every one who departs from Thee. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God! In the Lord God I have placed my trust, that I may declare all thy works.