Sirach 33

Wycliffe Bible

33 Evils shall not come to him that dreadeth God; but God shall keep (or shall guard) him in temptation, and shall deliver (him) from evils. [To the dreading God evils shall not meet; but in tempting God shall keep him, and deliver him from evils.]

² A wise man hateth not the commandments, and rightfulnesses; and he shall not be hurtled down, as in the tempest of a ship (or as a ship in a tempest).

³ A wise man believeth in the law of God, and the law is faithful to him.

⁴ He that maketh open asking, shall make ready [or shall prepare] a word; and so he shall pray, and shall be heard, and he shall keep (the) teaching, and then he shall answer.

⁵ The entrails of a fool be as a wheel of a cart, and his thoughts as an axle able to turn about.

⁶ An horse a stallion, so and a friend a scorner, neigheth under each (one) sitting above.

⁷ Why a day overcometh a day, and again the light overcometh light, and a year overcometh a year, (and) the sun overcometh the sun? [Why day the day overcometh, and again light the light, and year the year, sun the sun?]

⁸ Those be parted of (or separated by) the cunning (or the knowing) of the Lord, by the sun made, and keeping the commandment of God. [Of the cunning of the Lord they be severed, the sun made, and keeping the behest; by the wisdom of God they be divided.]

⁹ And it shall change times and the feast days of them, and in those times the Jews hallowed holy days, or holidays, at an hour. God enhanced and magnified of those holy days or holidays; and of those he setted into the number of days; [And he shall change the times and the feast days of them, and in them the feast days they hallowed at the hour. Of them God enhanced and magnified; and of them he put into the number of days and years;]

¹⁰ and God made all men of firm earth, and of nesh earth, whereof Adam was formed. [and all men of the soil, and of the earth, whereof Adam was formed.]

¹¹ In the multitude of (the) cunning (or the knowing) of the Lord, he parted [or he severed] them, and changed the ways of them.

¹² (Some) Of them God blessed, and enhanced (or exalted); and (some) of them he hallowed, and chose to (or for) himself; (some) of them he cursed, and made low, and turned them from the departing of them. [And of them he blessed, and enhanced; and of them he hallowed, and to himself he presented; of them he cursed, and meeked, and turned them to the severing of them.]

¹³ As (the) clay of a potter is in the hand of him, to make and dispose, (so) that all the ways thereof be after the ordinance of him; so a man is in the hand of him that made him; and he shall yield to him by his doom. [As the clay of the crocker in the hand of him to form and to dispose it, all the ways of it after his disposition; so a man in his hand that made him; and he shall yield to them after his doom.]

¹⁴ Against evil is good, and against life is death; so and a sinner is against a just man [or the rightwise].

¹⁵ And so behold thou into all the works of the Highest; two things against twain, and one thing against one [or two against two, one against one].

¹⁶ And I the last wak(en)ed, and as he that gathereth dregs of grapes, after the gathers of grapes. And I hoped in the blessing of God [or In the blessing of God and I myself hoped]; and as he that gathereth grapes, I filled the presser.

¹⁷ Behold ye, for I travailed not to (or for) me alone, but to all that seek cunning, (or knowing, or knowledge), [or discipline].

¹⁸ Great men, and all peoples hear ye me; and ye governors of the church, perceive with ears. [Heareth me, ye great men, and all peoples; and ye governors of the church, with ears perceive.]

¹⁹ Give thou not power over thee in thy life to a son, and to a woman, to a brother, and to a friend; and give thou not thy possession to another man, lest peradventure it repent thee, and thou beseech for those (again). [To son, and wife, brother, and friend, give thou not power upon thee in thy life; and give thou not to another thy possession, lest it repent thee, and thou lowly pray for them (again).]

²⁰ While thou art alive, [or livest], and breathest yet, each man shall not change thee.

²¹ For it is better, that thy sons pray thee, than that thou behold into the hands of thy sons.

²² In all thy works be thou sovereign; give thou not a wem into thy glory.

²³ In the day of (the) ending of (the) days of thy life, and in the time of thy going out, part thine heritage. [In the day of the full ending of the days of thy life, and in time of thy death deal (out) thine heritage.]

²⁴ Meats, and a rod, and a burden to an ass; bread, and chastising [or discipline], and work to (or for) a servant.

²⁵ He worketh in, or under, chastising, and seeketh to have rest; slake or slack thou (thine) hands to him, and he seeketh freedom.

²⁶ A yoke and bridle bow down an hard neck; and busy workings bow down a servant. Torment and stocks to (or for) an evil-willed servant;

²⁷ send thou him into working, lest he be idle; for why idleness hath taught much malice.

²⁸ Ordain thou him in work, for so it becometh him; (so) that if he obeyeth not, bow thou down him in stocks, [In work set him, so forsooth it seemeth him; that if he hear not, bow him with gives,]

²⁹ and make thou not him large over any man, that is, give thou not to him power over any man, but without doom, do thou nothing grievous. [and make thou not large upon all flesh, but without doom, nothing do thou heavy.]

³⁰ If a faithful servant is to thee, be he as thy soul to thee; treat thou him so as a brother, for thou hast bought him in (or with) the blood of life. [If there is to thee a faithful servant, be he to thee as thy life; as a brother so treat him, for in blood of life thou boughtest him.]

³¹ If thou hurtest him unjustly, he shall be turned into fleeing away [or into flight]; and if he enhancing goeth away, thou knowest not whom thou shalt seek, and in what way thou shalt seek him.