Sirach 45

Wycliffe Bible

45 And he kept to him men of mercy, finding grace in the sight of each man. Moses was loved of (or by) God and of (or by) men; whose mind (or memory) is in blessing. [And he kept to him sons of mercy, finding grace in the sight of all flesh. Moses loved of God and of men; whose mind is in blessing.]

² He made him like in (or to) the glory of (the) saints, and he magnified him in the dread of (his) enemies;

³ and in his words he made peaceable the wonders against kind. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and he commanded to him before his people, and showed his glory to him. [and in his words he ceased hideous wonders. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and he commanded to him before all his people, and he showed to him his glory.]

⁴ In the faith and mildness (or meekness) of him God made him holy; and chose him (out) of all men.

⁵ For he heard him, and his voice; and led him in(to) a cloud. And gave to him an heart to (the) commandments, and to the law of life, and to teaching (And gave to him an heart for the commandments, and for the law of life, and for teaching); to teach Jacob a testament, and Israel his dooms. [Forsooth he heard him, and the voice of him; and he led him in(to) a cloud. And he gave him an heart to the behests, and to the law of life, and of discipline; to teach Jacob his testament, and Israel his dooms.]

⁶ He made high Aaron, his brother, and like him of the lineage of Levi. [High he made Aaron, his brother, and a like to him of the lineage of Levi.]

⁷ He ordained to him an everlasting testament, or covenant, and gave to him the priesthood of the folk. And he made him blessful in glory, and girt him with a girdle of rightfulness; and (he) clothed him with a stole of glory, and crowned him in the ornaments or the adornments of virtue. [He set to him an everlasting testament, and he gave to him the priesthood of the folk of kind; and he made him blessful in glory. And he girded him about with the girdle of rightwiseness; and he clothed him (in) the stole of glory, and crowned him in vessels of virtue.]

⁸ He setted on him sandals, and breeches, and a cloth (or a cloak) on the shoulder, [Shoes, and breeches, and cape he put to (or on) him,]

⁹ and girt him about with full many small golden bells in compass; to give sound in his going, (and) to make (the) sound heard in the temple, into mind to the sons of his folk. [and girded him about with many little golden bells in compass; to give sound in his going in, and to make the sound heard in the temple, into mind to the sons of his folk.]

¹⁰ God gave to him an holy stole, a woven work, with gold and jacinth (or hyacinth), and purple, the work of a wise man, made rich with doom and truth (or with Urim and Thummim); [An holy stole, with gold, and blue violet silk, and sanguine silk, the work woven, through the doom of the wise man, and through the truth of the adorned;]

¹¹ the work of a craftsman, in writhed red thread, with precious gems (en)graven in the binding of gold, and (en)graved by the work of a craftsman of stones, into mind, by the number of the lineages of Israel. [with fire-red silk folded again, the work of the crafts(man), with precious gems figured in binding of gold, and with work of the lapidary (en)graved, into the mind, after the number of the lineages of Israel.]

¹² A golden crown on his mitre, set forth with the sign of holiness, the glory of honour, and the work of virtue, adorned to (or for) (the) desire of (the) eyes. [A gold crown upon the mitre of him, expressed with the token of holiness, the glory of worship, and the work of virtue, to the desire of eyes adorned.]

¹³ Such things so fair were not before him, unto the east. None alien was clothed therein, but only his sons, and his sons’ sons alone, by (or for) all time. [So fair before him were not such things, unto the east. There is not clothed with it any alien, but only alone the sons of him, and the cousins of him, by (or for) all time.]

¹⁴ His sacrifices were ended each day by fire. [The sacrifices of him be full ended with fire each day.]

¹⁵ Moses filled his hands, that is, (made him) sacred (or consecrated him), and anointed him with holy oil. It was made to him into (an) everlasting testament, and to his seed as the days of heaven, to use [the office of] priesthood, and to have praising, that is, to have the office to praise God, and to glorify his people in his name.

¹⁶ God chose him (out) of each living man, to offer sacrifice to God, incense, and good odour, into mind, for to please for his people. [Him he chose (out) of all (the) living, to offer sacrifice to God, incense, and good smell, into mind, to make peace for his people.]

¹⁷ And he gave to him power in his commandments, and in the testaments of dooms, to teach Jacob (the) witnessings, and in his law to give light to Israel.

¹⁸ For aliens stood against him, and men that were with Dathan and Abiram, and the congregation of Korah, in wrathfulness compassed him for envy, in (the) desert. [For against him stood aliens, and for envy there compassed him men in (the) desert, that were with Dathan and Abiram, and the congregation of Korah, into full wrath.]

¹⁹ The Lord saw (this), and it pleased not him; and they were wasted in the fierceness of (his) wrathfulness. He made to them wonders against kind, and in the flame of fire he wasted them, for the earth swallowed them, and they went down quick (or alive) into hell. [The Lord saw, and it pleased not to him; and they be wasted in the rush of full wrath. He made to them hideous vengeances, and he wasted them in the flame of fire.]

²⁰ And he increased glory to Aaron, and gave (an) heritage to him; and he parted to Aaron the first things of (the) fruits of the earth. He made ready his bread in the first things, into fullness; [And he added to Aaron glory, and he gave to him heritage; and the chief of the fruits of the earth he divided to him. The bread of him in the first, into fullness he prepared;]

²¹ for why and they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, which he gave to him, and to his seed.

²² But in the land of his folk he shall not have heritage, and no part is to (or for) him among the folk; for why God is the part and heritage of him.

²³ Phineas, the son of Eleazar, was the third in glory, in (pur)suing [or following] him in the dread of God, and to stand in the reverence of the folk; in the goodness and gladness of his soul he pleased God of Israel.

²⁴ Therefore God ordained to him the testament of peace, and made him (the) prince of (the) holy men, and of his folk; (so) that the dignity of (the) priesthood be to him and to his seed, without end. [Therefore he set to him a testament of peace, and a prince of saints, and of his folk; that there be to him and to his seed dignity of priesthood, into without end.]

²⁵ And the testament of David, the son of Jesse, of the lineage of Judah, was heritage to him, and to his seed;

²⁶ (so) that he should give wisdom into our heart(s), to deem his folk in rightfulness, lest their goods shall be done away; and he made the glory of them to be everlasting, in the folk of them. [that he should give wisdom into our heart, to deem his folk in rightwiseness, lest were done away the goods of them; and the glory of them, into the folk of them, he made everlasting.]