Sirach 19

Wycliffe Bible

19 A drunken workman shall not be made rich; and he that chargeth not little sins, falleth down into grievouser sins, little and little. [The drunkard workman shall not be made rich; and who despiseth little things, little-meal down falleth.]

² Wine and women make to be apostates, yea, wise man [or Wine and women make also wise men to go backward]; and they reprove witty men. And he that joineth himself to whores, shall be wicked;

³ rot and worms shall inherit him, and he shall be set on high into more ensample, and his soul shall be taken away from (the) number of chosen men. [rottenness and worms shall heritage him, and his soul shall be taken away from the number.]

⁴ He that believeth soon, is unstable in heart, and shall be made less; and he that trespasseth against his (own) soul, shall be had furthermore. [Who believeth soon, is light in heart, and shall be less(en)ed; and who trespasseth into his soul, furthermore shall be had.]

⁵ He that joineth in wickedness, shall be cursed; and he that hateth blaming, shall be made less in life; [Who joyeth in wickedness, shall be reproved; and who hateth correction, shall be less(en)ed in life;]

⁶ and he that hateth jangling, quencheth malice. He that sinneth against his (own) soul, shall (not) repent; and that is merry in malice, shall be cursed. [and who hateth much speech, quencheth malice. And who sinneth into his soul, shall not do penance; and who is merry in malice, shall be reproved.]

⁷ Rehearse thou (or repeat) not an hard word, and wicked, [or shrewd, (or depraved)]; and thou shalt not be made less.

⁸ Do not thou tell thy wit to friend and (or) to; and if trespass is to thee, do not thou make (it) naked. [To friend and enemy do thou not tell thy wit; and if there is to thee guilt, do thou not nakened (it).]

⁹ For he shall hear thee, and shall keep thee, and he as defending the sin shall hate thee; and so he shall be ever(more) with thee. [Forsooth he shall hear thee, and keep thee, and as defending sin he shall hate thee; and so he shall be nigh to thee.]

¹⁰ Thou hast heard a word against thy neighbour; die it (al)together in (or with) thee, and trust thou that it shall not break thee.

¹¹ A fool travaileth greatly of (or in) the face of a word, as the sorrow of (the) bearing of a young child [or as the wailing of the birth of a child].

¹² An arrow fastened in the hip of a dog, so a word in the heart of a fool. [An arrow fixed into the hip of an hound, so a word in the heart of a fool.]

¹³ Reprove thou a friend, lest peradventure he understand not, and say, I did (it) not; either if he hath done (it), lest he add to do (it) again. [Chastise a friend, lest peradventure he understand not, and say, I did not; or if he have done (it), lest again he add to do (it).]

¹⁴ Reprove thou a neighbour, lest peradventure he say (it) not; and if he saith (it), lest peradventure he rehearse (or repeat) (it). [Chastise a neighbour, lest peradventure he shall not say; and if he said (it), lest peradventure he rehearse (or repeat) (it).]

¹⁵ Reprove thou a friend, for why trespassing is done often; and believe thou not to each word. [Chastise a friend, oft forsooth is done trespass; and not to each word believe thou.]

¹⁶ There is a man that falleth [or that slideth] by his tongue, but not of will, that is, wittingly and of (or on) purpose. For why who is he, that trespasseth not in (or with) his tongue?

¹⁷ Reprove thou a neighbour, betwixt thee and him, before that thou menace (him); and give thou place to the dread of the Highest. [Chastise a neighbour, ere that thou threaten (him); and give place to the dread of the Highest.]

¹⁸ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

¹⁹ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

²⁰ For why all wisdom is the dread of God, and in that wisdom for to dread God; and the ordinance of (the) law is in all wisdom. [For each wisdom the dread of God, and in it to dread God; and in all wisdom the disposing of the law.]

²¹ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

²² And the teaching of wickedness is not wisdom; and the prudence of sins is not good thought. [And wisdom is not the discipline of shrewdness (or of depravity); and good thinking is not the prudence of sins.]

²³ There is wickedness of prudence, and cursedness is therein; and there is an unwise man, which is made little in wisdom. [There is shrewdness (or depravity) of prudence, and in it cursing; and there is an unwise man, that is less(en)ed in wisdom.]

²⁴ Better is a man that hath little wisdom, and failing in wit, in the dread of God, than he that hath plenty of wit, and breaketh the law of the Highest. [Better is a man that is less(en)ed in wisdom, and failing wit in the dread of God, than that aboundeth in wit, and over-passeth the law of the Highest.]

²⁵ There is (a) certain subtlety [or slyness], and it is wicked. And there is a man, that sendeth out a certain word, telling out (the) truth.

²⁶ There is a man that meeketh himself wickedly to deceive men the more; and his inner things be full of guile. [There is, that shrewdly meeketh himself; and the entrails of him be full of treachery.]

²⁷ And there is a just man, that maketh low greatly himself of (or by) much meekness; and there is a just man, that boweth the face, and feigneth him(self) to see not that, that is unknown. [And there is a rightwise man, that much underputteth himself of (or by) much meekness; and there is a rightwise (man), that boweth in the face, and feigneth him not to see that (that) is unknown.]

²⁸ Though he is forbidden of (or by) feebleness of strengths to do sin; if he findeth (the) time to do evil, he shall do evil. [And if of infirmity of strengths he is forbidden to sin; if he shall find time of evil doing, he shall evil do.]

²⁹ A man is known by (his) sight (or by his appearance); and a witty (or a witting, or a knowing) man is known by meeting of face.

³⁰ The clothing of (the) body, and the laughing of teeth, and the entering [or the going in] of a man, tell out of him.