Sirach 38

Wycliffe Bible

38 Honour thou a leech (or Honour a physician), for need; for why the Highest hath made [or formed] him.

² For why all medicine is of (or from) God; and he shall take of the king (or he shall receive from the king) a gift. [Of God forsooth is all leeching; and from the king he shall take giving.]

³ The cunning of a leech shall enhance his head (The knowledge of a physician shall exalt, or shall lift up, his head); and he shall be praised in the sight of great men. [The discipline of the leech shall enhance the head of him; and in the sight of great men he shall be praised.]

⁴ The Highest hath made (out) of the earth medicine; and a prudent man shall not loathe it. [The Highest formed of the earth medicine; and the prudent man shall not greatly fear it.]

⁵ Whether bitter water was not made sweet of (or by) a tree? The virtue of those things came by experience to the knowing of men;

⁶ and the Highest gave cunning (or knowing) to men, for to be honoured in his marvels.

⁷ A man healing in (or with) these things, shall assuage sorrow, [In these things he curing, shall assuage sorrow,]

⁸ and an ointment-maker shall make pigments of sweetness, and shall make anointings of health; and his works shall not be ended. For why the peace of God is on the face of (the) earth.

⁹ My son, despise not thyself in thy sickness; but pray thou the Lord, and he shall heal thee. [My son, in thine infirmity not despise thou thyself; but pray the Lord, and he shall cure thee.]

¹⁰ Turn thou away from sin, and (ad)dress (or direct) thine hands, and cleanse thine heart from all sin.

¹¹ Give thou sweetness, and the mind (or a memorial) of clean [or tried] flour of wheat, and make thou (a) fat offering;

¹² and give thou place to a leech (or to a physician). For the Lord made him, and depart he not from thee; for his works be needful to thee. [and give stead to the leech. Forsooth the Lord formed him, and go he not away from thee; for his works be needful.]

¹³ For why time is, when thou shalt fall into the hands of them. [There is forsooth time, when thou run into the hands of them.]

¹⁴ Forsooth they shall beseech the Lord, that he (ad)dress, (or direct), [or right rule] the work of them, and health for their living.

¹⁵ He that trespasseth in the sight of him, that made him, shall fall into the hands of the leech (or the physician).

¹⁶ Son, bring thou forth tears on (or over) a dead man, and thou as suffering hard things begin to weep; and by [or after] doom, (or according to custom), cover thou the body of him, and despise thou not his burying.

¹⁷ But for backbiting, bear thou bitterly the mourning of him (for) one day; and be thou comforted for sorrow. And make thou mourning after his merit (for) one day, either twain, for backbiting. [For the accusing forsooth bitterly bear wailing of him one day; and take comfort for heaviness. And do wailing after the deserving of him one day, or two, for backbiting.]

¹⁸ For why death hast(en)eth of (or from) sorrow, and covereth virtue (or strength); and the sorrow of heart boweth the head. [Of sorrowy sloth forsooth hieth death, and covereth virtue; and sorrowy sloth of heart boweth the noll.]

¹⁹ Sorrow dwelleth in leading away; and the chattel of a needy man is after his heart. [In leading away dwelleth still sorrowy sloth; and the substance of the helpless after the heart of him.]

²⁰ Give thou not thine heart in sorrow [or in sorrowy sloth], but put it away from thee; and have thou mind on the last things,

²¹ and do not thou forget. For why no (re)turning is, and thou shalt nothing profit to this dead man; and thou shalt harm worst thyself. [and do thou not forget. Not forsooth there is conversation, and to this thou shalt nothing profit; and thyself thou shalt worst treat.]

²² Be thou mindful of my doom, [or Mindful be thou of my doom], (or Remember my judgement); for also thine shall be thus, to me yesterday, and to thee today.

²³ In the rest of a dead man, make thou his mind (or his memory) to have rest; and comfort thou him, in the going out of his spirit. [In the rest of the dead make to rest the mind of him; and comfort him in the going out of his spirit.]

²⁴ Write thou wisdom in the time of voidness; and he that is made less in (doing) deeds, shall perceive wisdom; for he shall be filled of wisdom. [Wisdom write in time of voidness; and who is less(en)ed in deeds, wisdom shall perceive (or shall perceive wisdom); for with wisdom he shall be full-filled.]

²⁵ He that holdeth the plow (or the plough), and he that hath glory in a goad, driveth oxes with a prick, and he liveth in the works of those; and his telling is in the sons of bulls. [Who holdeth the plow, and who glorieth in the spear, with the prick stirreth the oxen, and dwelleth in the works of them; and the telling of him in the sons of bulls.]

²⁶ He shall give his heart to turn furrows; and his waking shall be about the fatness of (the) kine.

²⁷ So each carpenter, and principal workman, that passeth the night as the day; that (en)graveth images graven, and the busyness of him diverseth the painture; he shall give his heart to the likeness of painture (or of painting), and by his waking he performeth the work. [So each smith, and chief worker, the which (en)graved graven broaches, and the busyness of him varieth the painture; his heart he shall give into the likeness of painture, and his waking performeth the work.]

²⁸ So a smith sitting beside the anefelt (or the anvil), and beholding the work of iron, the heat of fire burneth his fleshes [or So the ironsmith sitting beside the stithy, and beholding the work of the iron, the humour of the fire burneth his flesh]; and he striveth in the heat of the furnace. The voice of a hammer maketh new his ear; and his eye is against (or towards) the likeness of a vessel. He shall give his heart into the performing of (the) works; and by his waking he shall adorn unperfection, that is, matter (or material) which he bringeth to perfection of form.

²⁹ So a potter sitting at his work, turning a wheel with his feet, which is put (for)ever[more] in busyness for his work; and all his working is unnumberable [or and without number is all the working of him].

³⁰ In his arm he shall form (the) clay; and before his feet he shall bow (down) his virtue (or his strength). He shall give his heart to end perfectly something; and by his waking he shall cleanse the furnace.

³¹ All these men hoped in their hands; and each man is wise in his craft.

³² A city is not builded without all these men. And they shall not dwell, neither go; [Without all these is not built up the city. And they shall not dwell in, nor go in;]

³³ and they shall not skip over [or over-leap] into the church. They shall not sit on the seat of a judge; and they shall not understand the testament of doom, neither they shall make open teaching and doom; and they shall not be found in parables.

³⁴ But they shall confirm the creature (or the nature) of the world, and their prayer is the working of craft;