Sirach 35

Wycliffe Bible

35 He that keepeth the word of God, multiplieth prayer. Wholeful sacrifice is to take heed to (or of) the commandments, and to depart from all wickedness. And to offer the pleasing of sacrifice for unrightfulnesses, and beseeching for sins, is to go away from unrightfulness. [Who keepeth the word, multiplieth orison. Wholesome sacrifice is to take heed to the commandments, and to go away from all wickedness. And to sacrifice pleasing of sacrifice upon unrightwisenesses, and lowly praying for sins, to go away from unrightwiseness.]

² He that offereth purest flour of wheat, shall yield grace, that is, shall give a pleasant (or a pleasing) service to God; and he that doeth mercy, offereth a sacrifice. [He shall yield grace, that offereth tried flour; and he that doeth mercy, offereth sacrifice.]

³ It is well pleasant to the Lord, to go away from wickedness; and prayer is to go away from unrightfulness. [Well-pleasing thing (it) is to the Lord, to go away from wickedness; and lowly praying, to go away from unrightwiseness.]

⁴ Thou shalt not appear void (or empty) before the sight of God;

⁵ for why all these things be done for the behests, (or for the commands, or the commandments) of God.

⁶ The offering of a just man maketh fat the altar, and is (the) odour of sweetness in the sight of the Highest. [The offering of the rightwise fatteth the altar; and the smell of sweetness is in the sight of the Highest.]

⁷ The sacrifice of a just man is acceptable, and the Lord shall not forget the mind (or the memory) of him. [The sacrifice of the rightwise is accepted, and the mind of him the Lord shall not forget.]

⁸ With good will yield thou glory to God, and make thou not less the first fruits of thine hands.

⁹ In each gift make glad thy cheer, and in full out joying hallow thy tithes. [In all gifts glad make thy cheer, and in full out joying hallow thy dimes.]

¹⁰ Give thou to the Highest after his gift [or Give to the Highest after the free gift of him], that is, after the quantity of thy goods, which thou hast of (or from) God; and with good eye make thou the findings of thine hands, that is, with rightful intent, ordain thy good works, to the praising of God and not of man.

¹¹ For why the Lord is a yielder, and he shall yield sevenfold so much to thee. [For yielding is the Lord, and seven times as much he shall yield to thee.]

¹² Do not thou offer shrewd (or depraved) gifts; for he shall not receive those. And do not thou behold an unjust sacrifice; for the Lord is judge, and glory, or taking, (or favouring) of person(s) is not at him. [Do thou not offer shrewd gifts; forsooth he shall not take them. And do thou not behold the unrightwise sacrifice; for the Lord is doomsman, and there is not with him glory of person(s).]

¹³ The Lord shall not take a person against a poor man (The Lord will not favour someone over a poor person); and he shall hear the prayer of him that is hurt.

¹⁴ He shall not despise the prayers of a fatherless child, neither a widow, if she sheddeth out (the) speech of wailing. [He shall not despise the prayers of the fatherless child, nor the widow, if she poured out the speech of wailing.]

¹⁵ Whether the tears of a widow go not down to the cheek, and the crying of her on him that leadeth forth those tears? For why those ascend from the cheek unto heaven, and the Lord hearing shall not delight in those [or in them].

¹⁶ He that worshippeth God in delighting, shall be received; and his prayer shall nigh (or shall approach) unto the clouds.

¹⁷ The prayer of him that meeketh himself shall pierce (the) clouds, and till it nigheth (or approacheth), he shall not be comforted, and he shall not go away, till the Highest behold (him). And the Lord shall not be far [or long away], but he shall judge just [or rightwise] men, and shall make doom;

¹⁸ and the Strongest shall not have patience in those (or towards them), that (or till) he trouble the back(s) of them. And he shall yield vengeance to folks, till he take away the fullness of proud men, and trouble (al)together the sceptres of wicked men; [and the strongest shall not have in them patience, that he trouble the rig(s) of them. And to Gentiles he shall yield vengeance, to the time that he take away the plenty of proud men, and the king’s dignities of wicked men he trouble;]

¹⁹ till he yield to men after their deeds, and after the works of Adam^[a], and after the presumption of him; till he deem the doom of his people, and shall delight just [or rightwise] men in his mercy.

²⁰ The mercy of God is fair in the time of tribulation, as clouds of rain in the time of dryness. [Fair is the mercy of God in time of tribulation, as a cloud of rain in time of drought.]