Sirach 17

Wycliffe Bible

17 God formed man (out) of (the) earth; and after his image he made man. [God with the right hand formed man; and after his image made him.]

² And again he turned man into that image; and after himself he clothed him with virtue (or with power or with strength).

³ He gave to him the number of days, and (a short) time; and he gave to him power of (or over) those things that be on (the) earth.

⁴ He setted the dread of man on all flesh, and he was lord of beasts and of flying birds. [He put the dread of him upon all flesh, and he lordshipped of beasts and of fowls.]

⁵ He formed of man an help like him; [He formed of him help like to himself;]

⁶ he gave to them counsel, and tongue, and eyes, and ears, and heart to think out (things); and he filled them with teaching of understanding. [counsel, and tongue, and eyes, and ears, and heart, he gave to them, of (or for) thinking out; and the discipline of understanding full-filled them.]

⁷ He made to them the cunning (or the knowing) of spirit, he filled the heart of them with wit (or with understanding); and he showed to them evils and goods.

⁸ He setted the eye of them (or He set his eye) on the hearts of them, to show to them the great things of his works, (so) that they praise (al)together the name of hallowing;

⁹ and to have glory in his marvels, (so) that they tell out the great things of his works. [and to glory in the marvellous things of him, that they tell out the great things of his works.]

¹⁰ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹¹ He added to them teaching; and he inherited them with the law of life. [He added to them discipline; and the law of life he heritaged them.]

¹² He ordained an everlasting testament with them; and he showed to them his rightfulness, and dooms.

¹³ And the eye(s) of them saw the great things of his honour, and the ears of them heard the honour of (his) voice;

¹⁴ and he said to them, Take heed to you from all wicked thing. And he commanded to them, to each man of his neighbour.

¹⁵ The ways of them be ever before him; those be not hid from his eyes. [The ways of them before him be evermore; and they be not hid from the eyes of him.]

¹⁶ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹⁷ On each folk he made sovereign a governor; and Israel was made the open part of God. [Into each folk of kind he before-set a governor; and Israel the part of God is made open.]

¹⁸ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹⁹ And all the works of them be as the sun in the sight of God; and his eyes behold without ceasing in (or on) the ways of them.

²⁰ Testaments were not hid from the wickedness of them; and all the wickednesses of them were in the sight of God.

²¹ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

²² The alms of a man is as a bag [or as a little sack] with him, and it shall keep the grace of a man as the apple of the eye;

²³ and afterward man shall rise again, and it shall yield to them a yielding, to each man into (or onto) the head of them; and (it) shall (re)turn into the lower parts of (the) earth. [and afterward it shall rise again, and yield to them yielding, to each into the head of them; and turn into the lower parts of the earth.]

²⁴ Forsooth it gave to men repenting the way of rightfulness, and confirmed men failing to suffer, and ordained to them the part of truth. [To men doing penance forsooth he gave the way of rightwiseness, and confirmed men failing to suffer, and ordained to them the lot of truth.]

²⁵ (Re)Turn thou to the Lord, and forsake thy sins; pray thou before the face of the Lord, and make thou less hurtings. [Turn thou to the Lord, and leave thy sins; pray thou before the face of the Lord, and make less the occasions of guilts.]

²⁶ Turn thou again to the Lord, and turn thou away from thine unrightfulness [or from thine unrightwiseness], and hate thou greatly cursing, that is, cursed sin.

²⁷ And know thou the rightfulnesses, and (the) dooms of God; and stand thou in the part of good purpose, and of prayer of (or to) the highest God. Go thou into the parts of the holy world, with men living [or with men alive], and giving acknowledging to God.

²⁸ Dwell thou not in the error of wicked men. Acknowledge thou before death; acknowledging perisheth from a dead man, as nothing. Living thou shalt acknowledge, living and whole thou shalt acknowledge, and shalt praise God; and thou shalt have glory in the merciful doings of him. [Not fast abide thou in the error of unpious men. Before death acknowledge; from the dead as nought perisheth confession. Thou shalt acknowledge living, living and whole thou shalt acknowledge, and praise God; and glory in the mercy doings of him.]

²⁹ The mercy of God is full great, and his help to them that convert to him. [How great the mercy of God, and the mitigation, or help, of him to men converting to him.]

³⁰ For why not all things may be (or be able to be) in men; for why the son of man is not undeadly (or immortal), and malices pleased into vanity [or and into vanity of malice they pleased].

³¹ What is clearer [or more clear] than the sun? and this shall fail; either [or] what is worse than that, that flesh and blood thought out? and of this he shall be reproved.

³² He beholdeth the virtue of [the] highness of heaven; and all men be (but) earth and ashes.