Sirach 48

Wycliffe Bible

48 And Elijah, the prophet, rose (up) as fire, that is, burning in the fervent love of God; for why his word burnt as a brand (or as a torch). [And Elijah, the prophet, rose as fire; and his word as a brand burned.]

² Which brought in hunger on them, and they (pur)suing him were made few for envy; for they might not suffer the commandments of the Lord. [The which brought in to them hunger, and following him by their envy be made few; forsooth they might not suffer the behests of the Lord.]

³ By the word of the Lord he held together heaven, and casted down from it fire to the earth, that is, by the virtue of his prayer, he made fire come down from heaven, on his burnt sacrifice. [Through the word of the Lord he withheld heaven, and cast down from him fire to the earth.]

⁴ So Elijah was alarged, (or was enlarged, or was magnified) in his marvels; and who may have glory in like manner with thee, [So made large is Elijah in his marvels; and who may (in) like manner glory to thee,]

⁵ which tookest away a dead man from hells, (or from the grave), (yea), from the heritage of death, in the word of the Lord God? [the which hast borne up the dead from hell, from the lot of death, in the word of the Lord God?]

⁶ Which castedest down kings to death, and hast broken (al)together lightly (or easily) the power of them, and glorious men from their bed. [The which threw down kings to death, and thou broke lightly the might of them, and the glorious from their bed.]

⁷ Which heardest (the) doom in Sinai, and in Horeb dooms of defence, that is, of God’s vengeance.

⁸ Which anointest kings to penance, and makest prophets (to be) successors after thee.

⁹ Which were received in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of horses of fire. [That art received in (a) whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses.]

¹⁰ Which art written in the dooms of (their) times, to please (or to appease) the wrathfulness of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the lineages of Jacob. [That art in-written in dooms of times, to assuage the wrath of the Lord, and to join, or accord, the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the lineages of Jacob.]

¹¹ They be blessed, that saw thee, and were made fair in thy friendship; for why we live only in life, but after death our name shall not be such. [Blessful be they, that thee have heard, and in thy friendship be made fair; for why we with life live only, after death forsooth such shall not be our name.]

¹² Elijah, that was covered in (or with) a whirlwind; and his spirit was filled in(to) Elisha. Elisha in his days dreaded not the prince, and no man overcame him by power; [Elijah forsooth in a whirlwind is covered; and in Elisha full-filled is his spirit. In his days he dreaded not a prince, and by might no man overcame him;]

¹³ neither any word overcame him, and his dead body prophesied.

¹⁴ In his life he did wonders against kind; and in death he wrought marvels. [In his life he did huge wonders; and in death marvellous things he wrought.]

¹⁵ In all these things the people did not penance, and [they] went not away from their sins, till when they were cast away from their land, and were scattered into each land. And a full few folk was left [or And there is left full few folk], and a prince in the house of David.

¹⁶ Some of them did that, that pleased God; but others did many sins.

¹⁷ Hezekiah made strong his city [or Hezekiah strengthened his city], and brought water into the midst thereof; and he digged a rock with iron, and builded a pit to (or for) (the) water.

¹⁸ In his days Sennacherib ascended, or went up, and sent Rabshakeh; and he raised (up) his hand against Zion, and was made proud in his power [or in his might].

¹⁹ Then the hearts and hands of them were moved; and they had sorrow as women travailing of child. [Then moved be the hearts and the hands of them; and they sorrowed as women travailing with child.]

²⁰ And they called to help the merciful Lord, and they spreaded abroad the hands, and raised (them) to heaven; and the holy Lord God heard soon the voice of them. He had not mind on their sins, neither gave them to their enemies; but he purged them in or (by) the hand of Isaiah, the holy prophet, by Isaiah praying for them. [And they inwardly called the merciful Lord, and stretching out hands, they reared (them) up to heaven; and the holy Lord God heard anon (or at once) the voice of them. He remembered not the sins of them, nor gave them to their enemies; but purged them in (or by) the hand of Isaiah, the holy prophet.]

²¹ The angel of the Lord casted down the castles (or the hosts) of (the) Assyrians, and all-brake them. [He threw down the tents (or the hosts) of Assyrians, and them bruised the angel of the Lord (or and the angel of the Lord altogether broke them).]

²² For why Hezekiah did that that pleased the Lord, and went strongly in the way of David, his father; which way Isaiah, the great prophet, and faithful in the sight of God, commanded [or sent] to him.

²³ In the days of him the sun went again aback; and God increased life to the king. [In his days backward went again the sun; and (he) added to the king(‘s) life.]

²⁴ With (or By) (a) great spirit he saw the last things; and he comforted the mourners in Zion, into without end. [With a great spirit he saw the last things; and comforted the wailing men in Zion, unto evermore.]

²⁵ He showed things to coming and hid things, before that those came. [He showed things to come, and hid, ere that they fell.]