Sirach 18

Wycliffe Bible

18 He that liveth without beginning and end, made (out) of nought all things together;

² God alone shall be justified,

³ and he dwelleth a King unovercome without end. [and dwelleth unvanquished king without end.]

⁴ Who shall suffice to tell out his works? for why who shall seek (out) the great things of him? [Who shall suffice to tell out the works of him? who shall ensearch the great worthy things of him?]

⁵ But who shall tell out the virtue (or the strength) of his greatness? either [or] who shall lay to for to tell out his mercy?

⁶ It is not to make less, neither to lay to; neither it is to find the great things of God. [There is not to lessen, nor to add; nor there is to find the great worthy things of God.]

⁷ When a man hath ended, then he shall begin [or then he beginneth]; and when he hath rested, (then) he shall work.

⁸ What is a man, and what is the glory of him? and what is good, either [or] what is the wicked thing of him?

⁹ The number of the days of men, that be commonly an hundred years, [The number of the days of men, as much (as) an hundred years,]

¹⁰ be areckoned as the drops of the water of the sea; and as the stone (or as a stone) of gravel, so a few years in the day of everlastingness. [as drops of the water of the sea they be ordained; and as a little stone of gravel, so few years in the day of the spiritual world.]

¹¹ For this thing God is patient in (or with) them, and sheddeth out on them his mercy. [For that patient is God in them, and he shall pour out upon them his mercy.]

¹² He saw the presumption, [or pride], of their heart, for it was evil; and he knew the destroying of them, for it was wicked, [or shrewd, (or depraved)]. Therefore he filled his mercy in them, and showed to them the way of equity.

¹³ The merciful doing of man is about his neighbour; but the mercy of the Lord is over each flesh. He that hath mercy, and teacheth, and chastiseth as a shepherd his flock, [The mercy doing of man about his neighbour; the mercy forsooth of the Lord upon all flesh. He that hath mercy, and learneth, and teacheth, as a shepherd his flock,]

¹⁴ do he mercy, taking the teaching of merciful doing; and he that hast(en)eth in the dooms thereof. [have he mercy, taking out doctrine of mercy doing; and that hie in the dooms of him.]

¹⁵ Son, in goods give thou not (com)plaint, and in (or with) each gift give thou not heaviness of an evil word. [Son, in good things give thou not (com)plaint, and in all gift give thou not sorrowy sloth, or heaviness, of an evil word.]

¹⁶ Whether dew shall not cool heat? so and a word is better than (a) gift.

¹⁷ Lo! whether a word is not above a good gift? but ever either is with a man justified. [Lo! whether not a word over a good gift? but either with a justified man.]

¹⁸ A fool shall upbraid sharply [or The fool sharply shall give reproof]; and the gift of an untaught man maketh (the) eyes to fail.

¹⁹ Before the doom make thou ready rightfulness to thee; and learn thou, before that thou speak. Before sickness give thou medicine [or Before sickness take medicine];

²⁰ and before the doom ask thyself, and thou shalt find mercy in the sight of God. [and before the doom ask thou thyself, and in the sight of God thou shalt find mercy.]

²¹ Before sickness make thee meek, and in the time of sickness show thy living. [Before sickness meek thee, and in the time of infirmity show thou thy conversation, or living.]

²² Be thou not hindered to pray ever(more), and dread thou not to be justified till to death; for why the meed of God dwelleth without end. [Be thou not letted to pray evermore, and dread thou not unto the dead to be justified; for the meed of God dwelleth into without end.]

²³ Before prayer make ready [or prepare] thy soul; and do not thou be as a man that tempteth God, that is, that a man betake himself to peril, and believe that that he may do reasonably, and (then) abide to be delivered of (or by) God.

²⁴ Have thou mind of (or remember) (the) ire in the day of ending; and make thou in living the time of yielding. [Have mind of wrath in the day of ending; and time of yielding in conversation thou shalt make.]

²⁵ Have thou mind of (or remember) poverty in the day of abundance; and the need of poverty in the time of riches. [Have mind of poverty in the time of plenty; and the need of poverty in the day of riches.]

²⁶ From the morrowtide unto the eventide the time shall be changed; and all these things be swift in the eyes of God. [From the early unto even the time shall be changed; and all these things hasted in the eyes of God.]

²⁷ A wise man shall dread in all things; and in the days of trespasses he shall flee from uncunning (or unknowing), either sloth.

²⁸ Each fell, [or witty, (or witting)] man, that is, attentive to eschew evils, by God’s dread, knoweth wisdom; and to him that findeth it, he shall give acknowledging (to it).

²⁹ Witty (or Witting, or knowing) men in words also they did wisely, and understood truth, and rightfulness; and besought proverbs and dooms.

³⁰ Go thou not after thy covetousnesses; and be thou turned away from thy will. [After thy lusts go thou not; and from thy will turn thee away.]

³¹ If thou givest to thy soul the covetousnesses thereof [or If thou give to thy soul his lusts], it shall make thee into joy to thine enemies.

³² Delight thou not in companies, neither in little companies; for why the sinning of them is continual. [Not delight thou in companies, nor in small things; soothly the trespassing of them is continual.]

³³ Be thou not mean in the striving of love, and something is (not) to thee in the bag; for why thou shalt be envious to thy soul. [Not be thou mean in the strife (or in the striving) for money, and there is not to thee nothing in the world; forsooth thou shalt be envious to thy soul.]