Sirach 42

Wycliffe Bible

42 Be thou not (a)shamed for all these things; and take thou not a person, (so) that thou do trespass. [Not for all these things be thou confounded; and not accept thou (a) person, that thou guilty]

² Be thou ware of the law and testament of the Highest, of doom to justify a wicked man; [of the law of the Highest, and of the testament of doom, to justify the unpious;]

³ of the word of fellows, and of way-goers, and of the giving of (the) heritage of friends;

⁴ of the evenness of balance, and of weights, of the getting of many things, and of few things;

⁵ of (the) corruption of buying, and of merchants, and of much chastising of sons; and of a worst servant, to make the side to bleed. [of the evenness of balances, and of weights, of purchasing of many things, and of few;]

⁶ A sealing, either closing, is good on a wicked woman. Where be many hands, close thou (up);

⁷ and whatever thing thou shalt betake, number thou, and weigh thou [or peise]; forsooth describe thou, either write (down), each gift, and taking (or receiving in).

⁸ Abstain thou from the teaching of an unwitty man, and fool, and of elder men that be deemed of (or by the) young men; and thou shalt be learned in all things, and thou shalt be commendable in the sight of all men. [Of the discipline of the mis-feeling (or of the mis-thinking), and of the fool, and of the elders, that be deemed, of the young, waxen men; and thou shalt be learned in all things, and (ap)provable (or approved) in the sight of all men.]

⁹ An hid daughter of a father is waking and busyness of (or for) him; she shall take away sleep; lest peradventure she be made (an) adulteress in her young waxing age, and lest she dwelling with the husband, be made hateful; [The daughter of the father is hid, the watch and the busyness of her shall do away sleep; lest peradventure in her young waxen age (an) adulteress she be made, and with a man dwelling, hateful she be made;]

¹⁰ lest anytime she be defouled in her virginity [or lest anytime she be polluted in her maidenhood], and be found with child in the keeping of her father; lest peradventure she dwelling with the husband, do trespass [or she trespass], either certainly be made barren.

¹¹ Ordain thou keeping on a lecherous daughter, lest any time she make thee to come into shame to (thine) enemies, of backbiting in the city, and of casting out of the people; and she make thee ashamed in the multitude of people. [Upon a lecherous daughter set ward, lest any time she make thee into reproof to come to thine enemies, of backbiting in the city, and of casting away of the people; and she confound thee in the multitude of the people.]

¹² Do not thou take heed to each man (or to each person) in the fairness, that is, in delighting in the beholding of his (or their) fairness; and do not thou dwell in the midst of women.

¹³ For why a moth cometh forth of (or from) clothes, and (the) wickedness of a man cometh forth of (or from) a woman. [Forsooth of clothes cometh the moth, and of a woman the wickedness of a man.]

¹⁴ For why the wickedness of a man is better, that is, less evil, than a woman doing well, and a woman shaming into shame (or reproach). [Better forsooth is the wickedness of a man, then a woman doing benefit, and a woman confounded into reproof.]^[a]

¹⁵ Therefore be thou mindful of the works of the Lord; and I shall tell (out) the works of the Lord, which I saw, in the words of the Lord. [Mindful be I shall therefore of the works of the Lord; and that (that) I saw, I shall show out, in the words of the Lord, his works.]

¹⁶ The sun lightening beheld by all things; and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord. [The sun shining through all things beheld; and of the glory of the Lord full is his work.]

¹⁷ Whether the Lord made not holy men to tell out all his marvels, which the Lord Almighty steadfast in his glory shall confirm? [Whether not the Lord made saints to tell out all his marvels, the which the Lord almighty shall confirm stable in his glory?]

¹⁸ He shall ensearch the depth, and the heart of men; and he shall think in (or on) the fellness, [or the sly wit, or guile], of them. For the Lord knew all cunning (or all knowing), and beheld into the sign(s) of the world;

¹⁹ telling [out] those things that be passed, and those things that shall come; showing [or opening] the steps of hid things.

²⁰ And no thought passeth him (by), and no word hideth itself from him.

²¹ He made fair the great works of his wisdom, which is before the world, and till into the world; neither anything is increased, neither is decreased, and he hath no need to the counsel of any. [He made fair the great worthy works of his wisdom, the which is before the world, and unto the world; nor it is added, nor it is less(en)ed, and it needeth not the counsel of any man.]

²² All his works be full desirable, and to behold, as a sparkle which is. [How desirable be all the works of him, and as a sparkle that is, to behold.]

²³ All these things live, and dwell into the world (or forever); and all things obey to him in all need. [All these things live, and dwell into the world; and in all need all things obeish to him.]

²⁴ All things be double, one against one; and he made not anything to fail.

²⁵ He shall confirm the goods of each; and who shall be filled, seeing his glory? [Of everything he shall confirm the goods; and who shall be full-filled, seeing the glory of him, and who witting shall confirm the strength of him?]