Wisdom 3

Wycliffe Bible

3 Forsooth the souls of just men be in the hand of God; and the torment of death shall not touch them. [The souls of rightwise men be in the hand of God; and torment of death shall not touch them.]

² They seemed to the eyes of unwise men to die; and torment was deemed the outgoing of them.

³ And from (a) just way they went into destroying, and that that is of (or for) us the way of destroying; but they be in peace. [And from a rightwise way they went into destruction, and that of us is way of destruction; they forsooth be in peace.]

⁴ Though they suffered torments before men, the hope of them is full of undeadliness (or of immortality).

⁵ They were travailed in a few things, and they shall be disposed well in many things; for why God assayed them, and found them worthy to (or for) himself. [In few things travailed, in many things they shall be well disposed; for God tempted them, and found them worthy himself.]

⁶ He proved them as gold in a furnace, and he took them as the offering of (a) burnt sacrifice; [As gold in furnace he proved them, and as burnt sacrifice of host he allowed them;]

⁷ and the beholding of them shall be in (the) time of yielding. Just men shall shine, and they shall run about as sparkles in a place of reeds. [and in time shall be the beholding of them. They shall shine rightwise, and as sparkles in reedy places they shall run hither and thither.]

⁸ They shall deem nations, and shall be lords of peoples; and the Lord of them shall reign without end. [They shall deem nations, and lordship to peoples; and the Lord of them shall reign into without end.]

⁹ They that trust on (or in) him, shall understand truth; and faithful men in love shall assent to him; for why (free) gift and peace is to his chosen men. [Who trust in him, shall understand truth; and faithful in love they shall assent to him; for free gift and peace is to the chosen men of him.]

¹⁰ But wicked men, by those things that they thought, shall have punishing; which despised just thing, and went away from the Lord. [Unpious men forsooth, after that (that) they thought, corrections shall have; that despised the rightwise, and from the Lord went away.]

¹¹ For he that casteth away wisdom and lore, is cursed [or is unhappy]; and the hope of wicked men is void, and their travails be without fruit, and their works be unhabitable [or unable to dwell in], and unprofitable.

¹² The women of them be unwitty, and the sons of them be full wayward. [The women of them be unwise, and most wicked the sons of them.]

¹³ The creature (or the generation) of them is cursed; for why the woman barren and undefouled is blessed [or for happy is the barren, and the undefouled], that hath not known the bed in trespass; she shall have fruit in the beholding of holy souls.

¹⁴ And a man unmighty to (en)gender, or to (be)get, is blessed, that hath not wrought wickedness by (or with) his hands, neither thought most wayward things against the Lord; for why a chosen (free) gift of faith shall be given to him, and a most acceptable heritage (or inheritance) in the temple of God. [And the gelding, that wrought not by his hands wickedness, nor thought against the Lord most wicked things; forsooth there shall be given to him the chosen free gift of the belief, and lot in the temple of God most allowed.]

¹⁵ For why the fruits of good travails is glorious, and the root of wisdom that falleth not down.

¹⁶ But the sons of adulterers shall be in destroying, and the seed of a wicked bed shall be destroyed. [The sons forsooth of adulterers in ending shall be, and from the wicked bed the seed shall be outlawed.]

¹⁷ And soothly though they shall be of long life, they shall be areckoned into nought; and the last eld (age) of them shall be without honour. [And if forsooth of long life they shall be, in nought they shall be counted; and without worship shall be the last eld (age) of them.]

¹⁸ And if they be dead swiftlier, they shall not have hope, neither allowing in the day of knowing. [And if swiftlier they shall be dead, they shall not have hope, nor in the day of acknowledging speech.]

¹⁹ Forsooth wicked nations be of hard ending.