Sirach 24

Wycliffe Bible

24 Wisdom shall praise his soul, and he shall be honoured in God; and he shall have glory in the midst of his people.

² And he shall open his mouth in the churches of the Highest; and he shall have glory in the sight of his virtue (or of his power). And he shall be enhanced in the midst of his people; and he shall wonder in holy fullness, either plenty. And in the multitude of chosen men he shall have praising; and among blessed men he shall be blessed, and say, [And in the churches of the Highest he shall open his mouth; and in the sight of the virtue of him he shall glory. And in the middle of his people he shall be enhanced; and in holy plenty he shall much wonder. And in the multitude of chosen men he shall have praising; and among blessed men he shall be blessed, saying,]

³ I, the first (en)gendered before each creature, came forth from the mouth of the Highest. I (was) made in (the) heavens, that (or where) light never failing rose up, and as a cloud I covered all (the) earth, [I (out) of the mouth of the Highest came forth, first (be)gotten before each creature. I made in heavens, that unfailing light should spring, and as a little cloud I covered each flesh,]

⁴ I dwelled in highest things, and my throne (is) in a pillar of cloud. [I in the highest things dwelled, and my throne in a pillar of a cloud.]

⁵ I alone went about the compass of heaven, and I pierced the depth of the sea; [The circle of heaven I compassed alone, and the depth of the sea I drilled;]

⁶ and I went in the waves of the sea, and I stood in (or on) all the land. And I had the first dignity in each people, and in each folk; and I trod by virtue (or power) on the necks of all excellent men and meek; [and in the floods of the sea I went, and in all earth I stood. And in all people, and in all folk of kind the firsthood I had; and of all high and low the hearts by virtue I trod;]

⁷ and in all these men I sought rest, and I shall dwell in the heritage of the Lord. [and in all these things rest I sought, and in the heritage of him I shall dwell.]

⁸ Then the Creator of all commanded, and said to me; and he that formed me, rested in my tabernacle; and he said to me, Dwell thou in Jacob, and take thou heritage in Israel, and send thou roots in(to) my chosen men. [Then commanded, and said to me, the Former of all things; and he that formed me, rested in my tabernacle; and said to me, In Jacob dwell thou, and in Israel heritage thou, and in(to) my chosen put roots.]

⁹ I was (en)gendered from the beginning and before worlds, and I shall not fail unto the world coming; [From the beginning and before worlds I am formed, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be;]

¹⁰ and I ministered in an holy dwelling before him [or and in (an) holy dwelling before him I served]. And so I was made steadfast in Zion,

¹¹ and in like manner I rested in a city hallowed, and my power was in Jerusalem. [and in an hallowed city (in) like manner I rested, and in Jerusalem (was) my power.]

¹² And I rooted in a people honoured; and the heritage thereof into the parts of my God [or and into the parts of my God the heritage of him], and my withholding in the plenty or the fullness of saints.

¹³ I was enhanced as a cedar in Lebanon, and as a cypress tree in the hill of Zion.

¹⁴ I was enhanced as a palm tree in Cades or in Kedesh (or in Engedi), and as the planting of (a) rose in Jericho. And as a fair olive tree in fields; and I was enhanced as a plane [or a platan] tree besides (the) water in streets.

¹⁵ As canel and balm giving great smell, I gave odour; as chosen myrrh I gave the sweetness of odour. And as storax, and galbanum, and ungulam, and gum, and as Lebanon not cut down, I made hot [or I smoked] my dwelling place; and mine odour as balm not meddled [or and as balsam not mingled, (or mixed), is my smell].

¹⁶ I as terebinth stretched forth my boughs; and my boughs be boughs (or branches) of honour, and of glory. [I as terebinth straightened out my branches; and my branches of worship, and of grace.]

¹⁷ I as a vine made fruit the sweetness of odour; and my flowers be the fruits of honour, and of honesty (or of riches).

¹⁸ I am a mother of fair love, and of dread, and of knowing, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of way, and of truth; in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

¹⁹ All ye that covet me, pass (or come) to me; and be ye filled of (or with) my generations. [Passeth to me, all that covet me; and of my generations be ye full-filled.]

²⁰ For why my spirit is sweet above honey; and mine heritage is above honey, and honeycomb. My mind is in the generation of worlds (or I shall always be remembered). [My spirit forsooth over honey sweet; and mine heritage over honey, and honeycomb. My mind in the generation of worlds.]

²¹ They that eat me, shall hunger yet; and they that drink me, shall thirst yet. [They that eat me, yet shall hunger; and that drink me, yet shall thirst.]

²² He that heareth me, shall not be shamed [or be confounded]; and they that work in me, shall not do sin; and they that declare me, shall have everlasting life.

²³ All these things is the book of life, and the testament of the Highest, and the knowing [or the acknowledging] of (the) truth. Moses commanded a law in the commandments of rightfulnesses [or in the behests of rightwisenesses], and (for an) heritage to the house of Jacob, and (the) promises to Israel.

²⁴ He setted, that is, ordained, either promised, to David, his child, to raise [up] of (or from) him a king most strong, and sitting without end in the throne of honour.

²⁵ Which king filleth wisdom, as Pishon sheddeth out water; and as Tigris in the days of new things.

²⁶ Which, as Euphrates, (full-)filleth wit; which multiplieth, as (the) Jordan in the time of harvest. [That full-filleth, as Euphrates, wit; that multiplieth, as Jordan in the time of reap(ing).]

²⁷ Which sendeth teaching [or doctrine] as (the) light; and is nigh all men, as Gihon in the day of vintage.

²⁸ Which maketh perfectly first to know that wisdom; and a feebler man shall not ensearch it. [That performeth first to know it; and the feebler shall not ensearch it.]

²⁹ For why the thought(s) thereof shall be (as) plenteous of (or as) the sea, that is, his knowing is more plenteous than the sea; and his counsel in the great ocean [or and the counsel of him in the great deepness] is uncomprehensible. I wisdom shedded out [or poured out] floods; I as a way, that is, a strong running, of full great water [or water without measure] of the flood.

³⁰ I as the flood Dorix, and as a water conduit I went out of [or from] paradise.

³¹ I said, I shall water my garden of plantings; and I shall greatly fill the fruit of my child-bearing. And lo! a plenteous way of water is made to (or for) me; and my flood nighed (or approached) to the sea.

³² For I (en)lighten teaching as the cheer morrowtide to all men; and I shall tell out it unto far. I shall pierce all the lower parts of (the) earth, and I shall behold all that sleep; and I shall (en)lighten all that hope in the Lord. [For doctrine as morrowtide light I light to all; and I shall tell out it unto afar. I shall pierce all the nether parts of the earth, and I shall behold all sleeping; and I shall (en)lighten all hoping in the Lord.]

³³ Yet I shall shed out teaching on prophecy, and I shall leave it to them that seek wisdom; and I shall not fail into the generations of them, till into the holy world. [Yet doctrine as prophecy I shall pour out, and I shall leave it to men seeking wisdom; and I shall not cease into the progenies of them, unto the holy spiritual world.]

³⁴ See ye, that I travailed not to me alone, but to all that seek out (the) truth.