אוֹשֵׁיט לְחַם פַּרְנָסוּתָךְ לַעֲנִיֵי דְּאָזְלִין בִּסְפִינָן עַל אַפֵּי מַיָּא אֲרוּם בָּתַר עִדָּן יוֹמִין סַגִּיאִין תַּמָּן תַּשְׁכַּח אַגְרָא לְעַלְמָא דְּאָתֵי: CHAPTER 1. Give your sustaining bread to the poor who go in ships on the face of the water, for after many days there you will find a reward [alternative reading בעלמא הדין in this world] and in the world to come.
הַב חוּלַק טַב מִן זַרְעָא לְחַקְלָךְ בְּתִשְׁרִי וְלָא תִתְמְנַע מִלְּמִזְרַע אַף בְּכִסְלֵו אֲרוּם לָא תִנְדַע מָה יְהֵי בִּישָׁא עִלַוֵי אַרְעָא אִי חָרְפֵי נִצְחָן אִי אֲפֵילֵי: 2. Put a good part of your seeds into your field in Tishri and do not refrain from sowing also in Kislev [alternative reading Marcheshvan], for you do not know what evil will be on the earth, whether the earlier or the later crops will succeed.
אִין מִתְמַלְיָן עֲנָנַיָּא מִטְרָא עַל אַרְעָא מְעַרָן יָת מַיֵיהוֹן בְּגִין זְכוּתָא דְּצַדִּיקַיָּא וְאִין לֵית זְכוּ בְּדָרָא הַהוּא בְּיַמָּא וּבְמַדְבְּרָא נָחֲתָן דְּלָא יִתְהֲנוּן מִנְּהוֹן בְּנֵי אֱנָשָׁא וְאִי אִתְגְּזַר מִן שְׁמַיָּא לְמִנְפַּל מַלְכָּא וְיָעֲטוֹהִי מִן שְׂרָרוּתְהוֹן מִן קֳדָם מֵימְרָא דִּשְׁמַיָּא הַוֵי וְאִי סוֹבְעָא וְכַפְנָא בִדְרוֹמָא אוֹ בְּצִיפוּנָא אַתֲר דְּאִתְגְּזַר לְמִתְקַיְימָא הַהִיא עֵיטָא תַּמָּן מִשְׁתַּלְחָא לְמֶהֱוֵי: 3. If the clouds will fill with rain, they pour out their water on the earth, because of the merit of the righteous, and if there is no merit in that generation, they descend upon the sea or the desert so that the people will not have benefit from them. And if it is decreed from Heaven that the king and his advisers are to fall from their rule, it is from the Memra of Heaven. And if there is plenty or famine in the south or in the north, the place where that decree exists, there it is sent to be.
גְּבַר דִנְטִיר חֲרָשִׁין וְקוֹסְמִין לָא יַעֲבִיד טָב לַעֲלַם וּדְמִסְתַּכַּל בְּמַזָּלַיָּא לָא מַגְבֵי אֲגַר אֲרוּם חֲרָשִׁין מְתִילָן לְרוּחָא דְּלָא מִתְּפַס בִּידוֹי דְּבַר נַשׁ וּמַזָּלַיָּא מְתִילָן לַעֲנָנֵי שְׁמַיָּא דַאֲזָלוּ וְלָא תָיְבִין: 4. A man who cares for sorcery and divination will never do good, and one who looks at the Mazalim [the horoscopes] does not collect a reward. For sorcery and divination are like the wind, which cannot be grasped by human hands, and the Mazalim are like the clouds of heaven which leave and do not return.
הֵיכְמָא דְּלֵיתָךְ יָדַע אֵיכְדֵין יְהַלֵּיךְ רוּחַ נִשְׁמְתָא דְּחַיֵי בְּגּוּף עוּלֵימָא שְׁלִילָא דְּשָׁרֵי בְּמַעֲיָנָא דְּאִמֵּיהּ מַעַבְּרָא וְהֵיכְמָא דְּלָא תִנְדַּע אִי דְּכַר אוֹ נוּקְבָא עַד זְמָן דְּאִתְיְלִיד הַכְדֵין לֵיתָךְ יָדַע יָת עוֹבָדָא דַּיָי דַּעֲבַד בְּחוּכְמְתָא יָת כּוֹלָא: 5. Just as you do not know how the breath of the spirit of life enters the body [of an embryo] which is lying in its pregnant mother’s womb, and as you do not know if it will be male or female until the time it is born, so you do not know the work of הי who does everything in His wisdom.
בְּיוֹמֵי עוּלֵימְתָּךְ תִּסַּב אִתְּתָא דְתוֹלֵיד בְּנִין וּלְעִדָּן סִיבוּתָךְ לָא תִשְׁבּוֹק אִתַּת חוּלְקָךְ מִלְּמֵילַד בְּנִין אֲרוּם לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע לָךְ אֵידֵין מִנְּהוֹן אִתְבְּחַר לְמֶהֱוֵי טָב הָדֵין אֵידֵין אוֹ תַּרְוֵיהוֹן כַּחֲדָּא טַבְיָין: 6. In the days of your youth, marry a wife and get children, and in the time of your old age, do not leave the wife of your portion from stopping birth of children, for you do not know which of them is chosen to be good, the one or the other or if both of them will be equally good.
וּבַסִים נְהוֹרָא דְּאוֹרָיְתָא וְטָב לְאַנְהָרָא עַיְנִין חַשִּׁיכִין לְמֶחֱזֵי יְקָר אַפֵּי שְׁכִינְתָא דַּעֲתִיד לְאַנְהָרָא אַפֵּי צַדִּיקַיָּא מִן זִיו שְׁכִינְתָא וּלְמֶהֱוֵי שׁוּפְרֵיהוֹן כְּשִׁמְשָׁא: 7. And sweet is the light of the Torah, and it is good to light up dim eyes that they may see the glory of the face of the Shecina, which will light up the face of the righteous from the splendor of His Shecina so that their beauty may be like the sun.
אֲרוּם אִם יוֹמִין סַגִּיאִין חָיֵי אֱנָשָׁא בְּכוּלְּהוֹן חָזֵי לֵיהּ לְמֶחְדֵּי וּלְמֶעְסַק בְּאוֹרָיְתָא דַּיָי יְהֵי דְכִיר יָת יוֹמֵי חֲשׁוֹכָא דְּמוֹתָא וְלָא יֵיחוֹב אֲרוּם סַגִּיאִין אִנּוּן יוֹמַיָּא דְּיִשְׁכּוֹב שְׁכִיבָא בְּבֵית קְבוּרְתָא [דְחָמֵי לֵיה] לְקַבָּלָא דִּינָא מִן שְׁמַיָּא בְּחַיּוֹהִי דִי רְחִים כָּל זְמָן דְּיֵיתֵי עֲלוֹהִי פּוּרְעָנוּתָא עַל הֲבָלוּתָא דִי עֲבָד: 8. For if a man lives many days in all of them he should rejoice and occupy himself with the Torah of 'ה. And let him remember the dark days of death and not sin. For many are the days which the deceased lies in the grave and it is appropriate for him to get judgment from Heaven for his life which he loved. All the time punishment will come on him for vanities he has done.
חֲדִי עוּלֵימָא בְּיוֹמֵי עוּלֵימְתָךְ וִיהֵי לִבָּךְ טָב עֲלָךְ בְּיוֹמֵי רַבְיוּתָךְ וַאֲיזֵיל בְּעִנְוְתָנוּתָא עִם אוֹרְחֵי לִבָּךְ וּתְהֵי זְהִיר בְּחֶזְיוֹנֵי עֵינָךְ וְלָא תִסְתַּכֵּל בְּבִישׁ וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע לָךְ אֲרוּם עַל כָּל אִלֵּין עֲתִיד יְיָ לְאַעָלוּתָךְ בְּדִינָא: 9. Rejoice, Youth, in the days of your youth, and let your heart be glad in the days of your boyhood, and walk humbly in the ways of your heart, and be careful in what you see not to see evil and know that for all these things 'ה will bring you to judgment.
וְתַעְדֵּי רְגִיז מִלִּבְבָךְ וְלָא תִגְרוֹם בִּישׁ עַל בִּסְרָךְ אֲרוּם עוּלֵימוּת וְיוֹמֵי אוֹכָמוּת שְׂעַר הֲבָלוּ: 10. And remove anger from your heart that you should not cause evil to your flesh for youth and the days of blackness of hair are transient. (A different version: Remove anger from your heart for anger kills people and also, it brings down many to Gehenna, but as for you, it is appropriate to save yourself from the judgment of Gehenna and know that all of this world is considered tansient and nothing remains to a man from all his works except the good deeds which shield him and also benefit him in the world to come.)