Wisdom 2

Wycliffe Bible

2 Forsooth wicked men said, thinking with themselves not rightfully, The time of our life is little, and with annoyance (or harm); no refreshing is in the end of a man, and none there is, that is known, that (re)turned again from hells (or from the grave). [Forsooth unpious men said, thinking with themselves not right, Little and with annoyance is the time of our life; there is not refreshing in the end of a man, and there is not, (any) that be known, turned again from hell.]

² For we were born (out) of nought, and after this time we shall be, as if we had not been; for why smoke is blown out in (or of) our nostrils, and a word of sparkle to stir our heart. [For of nought we be born, and after these things we shall be, as though we had not been; for smoke and blast is in our nostrils, and sermon of a sparkle to stir (al)together our heart.]

³ For our body shall be quenched ashes, and the spirit shall be scattered abroad as soft air; and our life shall pass as the step of a cloud, and it shall be departed as a mist, which is driven away of (or by) the beams of the sun, and is grieved of (or by) the heart thereof.

⁴ And our name shall take forgetting by the passing of time; and no man shall have mind (or remembrance) of our works.

⁵ For why our time is the passing of a shadow, and no (re)turning again of (or after) our end there is; for it is asealed, and no man (re)turneth again. [Forsooth the passing of the shadow is our time, and there is not turning again of our end; for it is all closed, and no man turneth again.]

⁶ Therefore come ye [or Cometh then], and use we the goods that be, and use we a creature, as in youth, swiftly.

⁷ Fill we us with precious wine and ointments; and the flower of time pass not (by) us.

⁸ Crown we us with roses, before that they wither; no meadow be, that our lechery pass not by. [Crown we us with roses, ere they wither; no meadow be, that our lechery pass not through.]

⁹ No man of us be there without part of our lechery; everywhere leave we the signs of gladness; for this is our part, and this is our heritage, (or our inheritance). [None of us be without lot of our lechery; over all leave we signs of gladness; for this is our part, and this is our lot.]

¹⁰ Oppress we a poor just man, and spare we not a widow, neither reverence we hoar hairs of an old man of much time. [Oppress we the rightwise poor man, and spare we not to the widow, nor worship we hoar hairs of the old man of much time.]

¹¹ But our strength be the law of rightfulness; for why that that is feeble, is found unprofitable.

¹² Therefore deceive we a just man, for he is unprofitable to us, and he is contrary to our works; and he upbraideth to us the sins of (the) law, and he defameth on us the sins of our teaching. [Beguile we then the rightwise man, for unprofitable he is to us, and contrary to our works; and reprovingly putteth to us the sins of law, and defameth against us the sins of our discipline.]

¹³ He promiseth that he hath the cunning (or the knowing) of God, and he nameth himself the son of God.

¹⁴ He is made to us into showing of our thoughts.

¹⁵ He is grievous to us, yea, to see; for why his life is unlike to other men, and his ways be changed.

¹⁶ We be guessed of him to be triflers, that is, men of no virtue, and he abstaineth himself from our ways, as from uncleannesses; and he before-setteth the last things of just men, and he hath glory, that he hath God (as) his father. [As triflers we be esteemed of him, and he abstaineth himself from our ways, as from uncleannesses; and he telleth before the last things of rightwise men, and he glorieth himself to have God to father.]

¹⁷ Therefore see we, if his words be true; and assay we, what things shall come to him; and we shall know, what shall be the last things of him.

¹⁸ For if he is the very (or the true) son of God, he shall up-take him, and shall deliver him from the hands of them that be contrary to him. [If forsooth he is the very son of God, he shall undertake him, and deliver him from the hands of the contrarious.]

¹⁹ Ask we him by despising and torment, (so) that we know his reverence, and that we prove his patience.

²⁰ By most foul death condemn we him, for why beholding shall be of his words. [By most foul death condemn we him; forsooth respect shall be of the words of him.]

²¹ They thought these things, and they erred; for why their malice blinded them. [These things they thought, and erred; and the malice of them blinded them.]

²² And they knew not the sacraments of God, neither they hoped (for) the meed (or the reward) of rightfulness [or nor hoped (they for) the meed of rightwiseness], neither they deemed the honour of holy souls.

²³ For why God made man unable to be destroyed, (or immortal), and God made man to the image of his likeness. [For God made man undeadly, and to the image of his likeness made him.]

²⁴ But by envy of (or from) the devil death entered into the world; forsooth they (pur)sue him, that be of his part. [Forsooth through the envy of the devil death came into the roundness of (the) earth’s; forsooth they follow him, that be of the part of him.]