Sirach 22

Wycliffe Bible

22 A slow man is stoned in (or is compared to) a stone of clay; and all men shall speak on the (great) despising of him [or and all shall speak of the great despising of him].

² A slow man is stoned of (or is compared to) the dung of oxes [or the drit of oxen]; and each man that toucheth him, shall shake the hands.

³ The shame of a father is of a son unlearned; but a fond daughter shall be in decreasing of the honour of father and mother. [The confusion of the father is of the undisciplined son; forsooth a fool(ish) daughter in great diminishing shall be.]

⁴ A prudent daughter is heritage to her husband; for she that shameth her husband, is in despising [or in reproof] of (or by) the father.

⁵ A bold woman, that is, shameless, shameth the father and husband, and shall not be made less than unfaithful men; forsooth she shall not be honoured of (or by) ever either.

⁶ Melody in mourning is uncovenable (or is unsuitable) telling; beatings and teaching, [or scourges and doctrine], (be) in all time with wisdom.

⁷ He that teacheth a fool, (is) as he that glueth together a tilestone. He that telleth a word to him that heareth not, is as he that raiseth a man sleeping from a grievous sleep. [Who teacheth a fool, as that glueth together a sherd (or a shard). He that telleth a word to the not hearing, as that reareth a sleeping man from an heavy sleep.]

⁸ He that telleth wisdom to a fool, speaketh with a man sleeping; and in the end of the telling he shall say, Who is this?

⁹ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹⁰ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹¹ Weep thou on (or for) a dead man, for why his light failed [or forsooth the light of him failed]; and weep thou on (or for) a fool, for he failed of wit. Weep thou a little on (or for) a dead man, for he hath rested. Forsooth the life of a full wicked man is full wicked, more than the death of a fool.

¹² The mourning of (or for) a dead man is seven days; but the mourning of (or for) a fool and of (or for) a wicked [or (an) unpious] man is all the days of their life.

¹³ Speak thou not much with a fool, and go thou not with an unwise man. Keep thee from him, (so) that thou have not dis-ease [or grief]; and thou shalt not be defouled in the sin of him. Bow thou away from him, and thou shalt find rest; and be thou not annoyed by his folly.

¹⁴ What shall be made heavier than lead? and what other name than a fool is to it? [Over (or More than) lead what shall be heavy? and what other name to him than a fool?]

¹⁵ It is lighter (or easier) to bear gravel, and salt, and a gobbet of iron, than a man unprudent, and a fool, and unfaithful. [Lighter (it) is to bear gravel, and salt, and a gobbet of iron, than an imprudent man, and a fool, and unpious.]

¹⁶ As an heap of trees, bound together in the foundament of the building, shall not be unbound, so and an heart confirmed in the thought of counsel. [As joining of trees, bound together to the foundament of the building, shall not be unloosed, so and the heart fastened together in the thinking of counsel.]

¹⁷ The thought of a wise man shall not be made shrewd (or depraved) in any time, neither dreaded.

¹⁸ As chaffs in high places, and sand without meddling of him [or and mortar without due cost], set against the face of the wind, shall not dwell; so and a dreadful heart in the thought [or in the thinking] of a fool against-standeth not against the fierceness of dread. As adorning, either pargeting, full of gravel in a clear wall, so and a fearedful heart in the thought of a fool [or so and the trembling heart in the thinking of a fool] shall not dread in any time; so and he that dwelleth (for)ever[more] in the behests (or the commands) of God.

¹⁹ He that pricketh the eye, shall lead out tears; and he that pricketh the heart, bringeth forth wit.

²⁰ He that casteth a stone to (or at) birds, shall cast down those; so and he that doeth wrong to a friend, departeth friendship. [Throwing a stone into fowls, throweth them down; so and that putteth reproof to a friend, loseth friendship.]

²¹ Though thou bringest forth a sword to a friend, despair thou not; for there is going again to the friend.

²² If he openeth a sorrowful [or a dreary] mouth, dread thou not; for why there is according, except (for) despising, and shame, and pride, and showing [or opening] of private(s) (or of secrets), and a treacherous wound; in all these things a friend shall fly away [or shall flee away].

²³ Have thou faith with a friend in his poverty, (so) that thou be glad also in his goods. In the time of his tribulations, dwell thou faithful to him [or abide still to him faithful], (so) that also thou be ever-heir in the heritage of him.

²⁴ Heat and smoke of fire is made high before the fire of a chimney; so and cursings, and despisings, and menaces, come before blood. [Before fire of the chimney, moist issue, and the smoke of fire, is enhanced; so and before blood curses, and wrongs, and threats.]

²⁵ I shall not be ashamed for to greet [or to salute] a friend, and I shall not hide me from his face;

²⁶ though evils come to me by him, I shall suffer. Each man that shall hear, shall keep warily himself from him. [and if evils shall come to me by him, I shall suffer. Each that shall hear, shall shun himself from him.]

²⁷ Who shall give keeping to my mouth, and a certain sealing on my lips, (so) that I fall not by those, and that my tongue lose (or destroy) not me? [Who shall give to my mouth ward, and upon my lips a certain mark, that I fall not from them, and my tongue lose me?]