¶ The ••ude of a foole. The ryghteousnes of god. The Lorde chasteneth his, and deliuereth them agayne.
CAPI. V.
CRye (I pray the) yf happly there be any [unspec A] that wyll answere the, & loke thou vpon any of the holy men. As for the folysshe mā, displeasure kylleth hym, & angre sleyeth the ygnoraunt, * 1.1 I haue sene my selfe, when the folyshe was depe roted, & sodeynly ☞ I cursed his habitacion. His chyldren were wt∣out prosperite, & they were sleyne in the gate, and there was no man to delyuer them: * 1.2 His haruest was eaten vp of the hungrie: and the weaponed man spoyled it, and the thurstye dranke vp theyr laboure. It is not the earth that bryngeth forth iniquite, neyther cometh sorow out of the groūde: but ☞ man is borne vnto labour, lyke as the sparkes flye vp out of the hote coles.
But I wyll aske counsell at the Lorde, & [unspec B] wyl talke with god: which doth thynges, that are vnsearcheable, and meruayles withoute nombre: * 1.3 He gyueth rayne vpon the earth / & poureth water vpon the stretes, to * 1.4 set vp them that be of low degre, & that those which are in heuynes may come to prosperite. He destroyeth the deuyses of the subtyle / so that theyr hand{is} are not able to performe any sted¦fast thyng. * 1.5 He compasseth the wyse in theyr owne craftynesse, & ouerthroweth the counsel of the wycked. In so moche that they run in* 1.6 to darkenes by fayre day, and * 1.7 grope about them at the noone day, lyke as in the nyght.
He shall delyuer the poore from the swerde [unspec C] and from the threatenynges of the vngodly and from the vyolence of the myghtye. He is the hope of the poore: and the mouthe of the wycked shalbe stopped. Beholde, * 1.8 happy is the man, whom god punyssheth: therfore, re∣fuse not thou the chastenyng of the almygh∣tye. For * 1.9 though he make a wounde, he gy∣ueth a plaster: though he smyte, his hande maketh hole agayne. ☞ He shall delyuer the in syxe troubles, and in the seuenth there shal none euyll come to the. In hunger he shall saue the from deathe: and when it is warre, from the power of the swerde.
Thou shalte be kepte from the euyl tougue [unspec D] & when trouble cometh, thou shalte not nede to feare. In destruccyon and derth thou shalt be mery, and * 1.10 shalte not be afrayde of beast{is} of the earth: For ☞ the stones of the lande shall be confederate with the, and the beastes of the felde shall gyue the peace. And thou shalte knowe, that thy dwellynge place shall be in rest: and thou shalte go and beholde thy habitacion, and shalte not synne. Thou shalt se also, that thy sede shall encreace, and that thy posterite shall be as the grasse vpon the earth. Thou shalte come also to thy graue in a fayre age, lyke as when they take vp a corne sheafe in due season. Lo, this we oure selues haue proued by experience, and euen thus it is. Herken thou to it also, that thou mayste take hede to thy selfe.