Sirach 39

Wycliffe Bible

39 and they give their soul, and they ask together [or together seeking] in the law of the Highest. A wise man shall seek out the wisdom of all eld [or all old] men; and he shall give attention in (or to) (the) prophets.

² He shall keep the telling(s) of (the) named men; and he shall enter (al)together into the hard sentences of parables. [The telling of the named men he shall keep; and into the slynesses of parables (al)together he shall enter.]

³ He shall seek out the privy things of proverbs; and he shall be conversant in the hid things of parables.

⁴ He shall minister in the midst of great men; and he shall appear in the sight of the chief judge. He shall pass into the land of alien folks; for he shall assay goods, and evils in all things.

⁵ He shall give his heart to wake early to the Lord that made him; and he shall beseech [or he shall lowly pray] in the sight of the Highest. He shall open his mouth in prayer; and he shall beseech for his trespasses.

⁶ For if the great Lord will (or desire to), he shall fill him with the spirit of understanding. And he shall send the words of his wisdom, as rains; and in prayer he shall acknowledge to the Lord.

⁷ And he, that is, the Lord, shall (ad)dress (or direct) his counsel, and teaching; and shall counsel in his hid things. [And he shall right rule the counsel of him, and discipline; and in his hid things shall counsel.]

⁸ He shall make open the wisdom of his teaching; and he shall have glory in the law of the testament of the Lord.

⁹ Many men shall praise his wisdom; and it shall not be done away till into the world. His mind shall not go away; and his name shall be sought from generation into generation. [Many shall praise the wisdom of him; and unto the world he shall not be done away. The memory of him shall not go away; and the name of him shall be sought from generation into generation.]

¹⁰ Folks shall tell out his wisdom; and the church shall tell [out] his praising.

¹¹ If his name dwelleth, he shall leave more than a thousand; and if he resteth, it shall profit to him.

¹² Yet I shall take counsel to tell out, for I am (full-)filled as with madness; and mine inner spirit saith in voice, [Yet I shall counsel that I tell out, as with madness forsooth I am full-filled; and in voice he saith,]

¹³ Ye fruits of God, hear me, and make ye fruit, as roses planted on (or by) the rivers of waters. [All about heareth me, ye God’s fruits, and as roses planted upon (or by) rivers of waters, maketh fruits.]

¹⁴ Have ye odour of sweetness, as the Lebanon hath. Bring forth flowers, as a lily; give ye odour, and make ye boughs into grace [or Flowereth flowers, as (a) lily; giveth smell, and brancheth into grace]. And praise ye together a song; and bless ye the Lord in his works.

¹⁵ Give ye great honour to his name, and acknowledge ye to him in the voice of your lips, in songs of lips, and in harps; and thus ye shall say in acknowledging,

¹⁶ All the works of the Lord be full good.

¹⁷ Forsooth water as an heap of stones stood at his word; and as receptacles of waters in the word of his mouth. [In the word forsooth of him stood the water as an heap; and in the word of the mouth of him as receiving places of waters.]

¹⁸ For why peaceableness is made in his commandment; and no default is in the health of him [or and there is not less(en)ing in the health of him], that is, in (the) saving made by him.

¹⁹ The works of each flesh be before him; and nothing is hid from his eyes. [The works of all flesh before him; and there is not anything hid from his eyes.]

²⁰ He beholdeth from the world till into the world; and nothing is wonderful [or is marvellous] in his sight.

²¹ It is not to say, What is this thing, either, What is that thing? [or What is this, or, What is that?] for why all things shall be sought in their time.

²² The blessing of him shall flow as a flood;

²³ and as the great flood filled greatly the earth, so his ire shall inherit in folks, that sought not him. [and as the universal flood full-filled the earth, so the wrath of him shall heritage Gentiles, that sought him not out.]

²⁴ As he turned waters into drynesses, and the earth was dried, and his ways were (ad)dressed (or directed) to the ways of them; so offensions (or stumbling blocks) in his ire be (ad)dressed (or directed) to sinners. [What manner he turned waters into drought, and the earth is dried, and the ways of it to the ways of them be forth straight; so to sinners offensions in the wrath of him.]

²⁵ Good things were made at the beginning to (or for) good men; so good things and evil be made to (or for) worst men. [Goods to good men be formed from the beginning; so to most wicked men goods and evils.]

²⁶ The beginning of needful thing(s) to the life of men, (be) water, fire, and iron, and salt, and milk, and bread of clean flour of wheat, and honey, and a cluster of grape(s), and oil, and cloth(es). [The beginning of necessary thing(s) to the life of men, (be) water, fire, iron, and salt, and milk, and bread of tried flour, and honey, and cluster of grape(s), and oil, and clothing.]

²⁷ All these things shall turn to holy men into goods; so and to unfaithful men and to sinners into evils. [All these to holy men into goods; so and to unpious men and to sinners into evils they shall be all turned.]

²⁸ Spirits be that be made to vengeance [or There be spirits that to vengeance be formed]; and in their madness they confirmed their torments. And in the time of ending they shall shed out [or they shall pour out] virtue; and they shall confound (or confuse) the strong vengeance of him that made them.

²⁹ Fire, hail, hunger, and death; all these things be made [or be formed] to (or for) vengeance;

³⁰ the teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and a sword punishing wicked men into destroying.

³¹ In the commandments of him, those shall eat, and those shall be made ready on the earth, in need; and in their times those shall not (over-)pass one word. [In the behests of him they shall plenteously eat, and upon the earth in need they shall be prepared; and in their times they shall not pass beside a word.]

³² Therefore from the beginning I was confirmed (or certain); and I counselled, and thought, and left (it all) written (down) [or and scripts left].

³³ All the works of the Lord be good; and each work shall serve in his (or in its) hour. [All the works of the Lord good; and each work in his hour shall under-minister.]

³⁴ It is not to say, This is worse than that; for why all things shall be (ap)proved in their time [or forsooth all things in their time shall be (ap)proved].

³⁵ And now in all the heart and mouth praise ye together, and bless ye the name of the Lord.