Sirach 41

Wycliffe Bible

41 A! death, thy mind is full bitter to an unjust man, and having peace in his riches; to a restful man, and whose ways be (ad)dressed (or directed) in all things, that is, hath prosperity in all temporal things, and yet mighty to take meat. [O! death, how bitter is thy mind to an unrightwise man, and having peace in his substances; to a quiet man, and whose ways be right straight, or right strait, in all things, and yet mighty to take meat.]

² A! death, thy doom (or thy judgement) is good to a needy man, and which is made less in strengths, and faileth for age, and to whom is care of all things, and unbelieveful, that loseth (or that destroyeth) wisdom. [O! death, good is thy doom to a man needy, and that is less(en)ed in strength, failing through age, and to whom of all things is care, and to the unbelieveful, that loseth wisdom.]

³ Do not thou dread the doom of death, that is, set thou thee in such a state, (so) that the doom of death be good to (or for) thee; have thou mind what things were before thee, and what things shall come on (or after) thee; this doom is of the Lord to each man. [Do thou not dread the doom of death; have mind what before thee were, and what upon be to come to (or after) thee; this doom from the Lord to all flesh.]

⁴ And those things that shall come on (or after) thee in the good pleasance (or through the good pleasure) of the Highest; whether ten years, either an hundred, either a thousand. For why none accusing (or excusing) of life is in hell (or in the grave), that is, no man may excuse him(self) there, in alleging (the) goodness of (his) life. [And that shall overcome to thee in the well-pleased thing of the Highest; whether ten, or an hundred, or a thousand years. Forsooth there is not in hell accusing (or excusing) of life.]

⁵ The sons of abominations be the sons of sinners; and they that dwell beside the houses of wicked [or of unpious] men.

⁶ The heritage of the sons of sinners shall perish; and the continuance of shame with the seed of them. [The heritage of the sons of sinners shall perish; and with the seed of them the busyness of reproof.]

⁷ (The) Sons (will) (com)plain of a wicked father; for they be in shame for him. [Of the unpious father (com)plain, or wail, sons, for for him they be in reproof.]

⁸ Woe to you, ye wicked men, that have forsaken the law of the Highest. [Woe to you, unpious men, that have forsaken the law of the highest Lord.]

⁹ And if ye be born, ye shall be born in cursedness; and if ye be dead, your part shall be in cursedness. [And if ye shall be born, in cursing ye shall be born; and if ye shall die, in cursing shall be your part.]

¹⁰ All things that be of the earth, shall (re)turn into the earth; so wicked [or unpious] men shall turn from cursing into perdition.

¹¹ The mourning of men is in (or for) the body of them; but the name of wicked men shall be done away.

¹² Have thou busyness of (or for) a good name; for why this shall dwell more with thee, than a thousand treasures great and precious. [Care have thou of a good name; that forsooth more shall abide still with thee, than a thousand great treasures and precious.]

¹³ The number of days is the term of (a) good life; but a good name shall dwell without end. [Of (a) good life (is) the number of days; forsooth (a) good name shall abide still into the spiritual world.]

¹⁴ Sons, keep ye teaching in peace; for why wisdom hid, and treasure unseen, what profit is in ever either? [Discipline in peace keepeth, ye sons; hid forsooth wisdom, and treasure unseen, what profit in ever either?]

¹⁵ Better is a man that hideth his folly, than a man that hideth his wisdom.

¹⁶ Nevertheless (re)turn ye again in these things that come forth of (or from) my mouth. For it is not good to keep all unreverence, and not all things please all men in faith. [Neverthelater turneth again in these things that go out of my mouth. Forsooth it is not good to wait about, or to keep, all unreverence, and not all things in all please in faith.]

¹⁷ Be ye ashamed of fornication, before father, and before mother; and of a leasing (or of a lie), before a justice, and before a mighty man;

¹⁸ and of trespass, before a prince, and before a judge; and of wickedness, before a synagogue, and a people; and of unrightfulness, or unrightwiseness, before a fellow, and a friend;

¹⁹ and of theft, in the place wherein thou dwellest; of the truth and the testament of God; of sitting at the meat in loaves; and of the blemishing of gift (or of giving), and (of) taking; [and of the place in the which thou dwellest, of theft; of the truth of God, and the testament; of sitting down in loaves; and of the darkening of the given thing, and of (the) taken;]

²⁰ of stillness, before them that greet (thee); of the beholding of a lecherous woman; and of the turning away of the cheer (or the face) of a cousin. [from men saluting, of stillness; from beholding of a fornicary woman, and from the turning away of the cheer of the cousin.]

²¹ Turn thou not away thy face from thy neighbour; and be thou ware of taking away a part, and not restoring (it). Behold thou not the woman of another man; [Not turn thou away the face from thy neighbour; and from taking away part, and not restoring. Behold thou not a woman of another man;]

²² and ensearch thou not her handmaid, neither stand thou at her bed. Be thou ware of friends, of the words of upbraiding; and when thou hast given, upbraid thou not. [and not ensearch thou the handwoman of him, and stand thou not at the bed of her. Beware of friends, of words of reproof; and when thou hast given, not upbraid thou.]

²³ Double thou not a word of hearing, (and) of the showing of an hid word; [Not double thou the sermon of hearing, of the opening of the hid word;]

²⁴ and thou shalt be verily (or truly) without shame [or confusion], and thou shalt find grace in the sight of all men.