Sirach 12

Wycliffe Bible

12 If thou doest well, know thou to whom thou doest (it); and much grace shall be to thy goods (or for thy good doings). [If thou shalt well do, know thou to whom thou shalt well do; and there shall be much grace in thy goods.]

² Do thou well to a just man, and thou shalt find great yielding; though not of (or from) him, certainly of (or from) the Lord. [Well do to the rightwise, and thou shalt find great yielding; and if not of him, certainly of the Lord.]

³ It is not well to him that is customable in evils, and to him that giveth not alms; for why the Highest both hateth sinners, and doeth mercy to them that do penance. [It is not well to him that is busy in evils, and to the not giving alms-deeds; for and the Highest to hate hath sinners, and hath mercy to penance-doers.]

⁴ Give thou to a merciful man, and receive thou not a sinner, that is, (one) obstinate in sins; God shall yield vengeance both to unfaithful men and to sinners, keeping them in the day of vengeance. Give thou to a good man, and receive thou not a sinner. [Give to the merciful, and undertake, or receive thou not the sinner; and to unpious and sinners he shall yield vengeance, keeping them in the day of vengeance. Give to the good, and receive thou not the sinner.]

⁵ Do thou good to a meek man, and give thou not to an unpious man, that is, obstinate in sin; forbid thou (or forbid thyself) to give loaves to him, lest in those, he be(come) mightier than thou. For (then) thou shalt find double evils in all goods, whichever thou doest to (or for) him; [Well do to the meek, and give thou not to the unpious; forbid thou to give to him loaves, lest in them he be mightier than thou. For double evils thou shalt find in all goods, whatever thou shalt do to him;]

⁶ for why the Highest both hateth sinners, and shall yield vengeance to unfaithful men. [for and the Highest to hate hath sinners, and to the unpious he shall yield vengeance.]

⁷ (This verse is omitted in the original text.).

⁸ A friend shall not be known in goods (or in good times), and an enemy shall not be hid in evils, that is, adversities.

⁹ In the goods (or in the good times) of a man, his enemies be sorry; and a friend is known in the sorrow and malice of him, that is, in (the) adversity of him. [In the goods of a man the enemies of him; and in the sorrow and in the malice of him the friend is known.]

¹⁰ Believe thou never to thine enemy; for his wickedness rusteth as (or like) iron. [Not trust, or believe, thou to thine enemy into without end; forsooth as brass rusteth out, (so) the shrewdness (or the depravity) of him.]

¹¹ Though he be made meek, and go low, cast away thy soul, and keep thee from him. [And if meeked he go crooked, throw away thy will, and keep thee from him.]

¹² Set thou not him beside thee, neither sit he at thy right side, lest he turn (against thee), and stand in thy place; lest peradventure he turn into thy place, and inquire (about) thy chair, and in (or at) the last time thou know (or remember) my words, and be pricked in (or with) my words. [Set not him beside thee, and sit he not at thy right half, lest turned he stand in thy place; lest peradventure turned into thy place he inwardly seek thy chair, and in the last thou know my words, and in my words thou be pricked.]

¹³ Who shall do medicine to an enchanter smitten of (or by) a serpent, and to all men that nigh to (or approach) beasts,

¹⁴ and to him that goeth with an evil man, and is wrapped (up) in the sins of him? [and that followeth with the wicked man, and is about-wrapped in his sins?]

¹⁵ In one hour he shall dwell with thee; soothly if thou bowest away, he shall not bear up. [One hour with thee he shall abide still; if forsooth thou bow down, he shall not under-bear.]

¹⁶ The enemy maketh sweet in (or with) his lips, and in his heart he setteth treason to overturn thee into the ditch. The enemy weepeth in (or with) his eyes; and (or but) if he findeth (the) time, he shall not be filled of (or with) (enough) blood [or he shall not be full-filled with blood].

¹⁷ If evils befall to thee [or If there shall fall to thee evils], thou shalt find him the former (or the first) there. The enemy shall weep before thine eyes, and he as helping shall undermine thy feet.

¹⁸ He shall stir his head, and he shall beat with (his) hand(s); and he shall speak privily many evils of (or about) thee, and shall change his cheer (or his face). [His head he shall move, and flap (or clap) for joy with the hand(s); and many things grudgingly (or grumblingly) whispering shall with change his cheer.]