Sirach 20

Wycliffe Bible

20 There is false reproving in the ire of a man full of despising; and there is doom which is not proved to be good; and there is a still man, and he is prudent. [There is lying correction in wrath of the wrongful; and there is doom that is not proved to be good; and there is a bearer (or a person being) still, and he is prudent.]

² It is full good to reprove, more than to be wroth, and to forbid not a man acknowledging in prayer. [How good (it) is to reprove, than to wrath, and to not forbid the acknowledger in orison.]

³ The covetousness of a gelding hath defouled the maidenhood of a young woman, so (or is as) he that maketh wicked doom by violence. [The lust of the gelding deflowered the young woman, or (made her) bereft of her maidenhood, so he that doeth by force wicked doom.]

⁴ It is full good, that a man that is reproved, show openly penance; for so thou shalt escape willful sin. [How good (it) is, the chastised to show penance; so forsooth thou shalt flee away (from) willful sin.]

⁵ There is a still man, which is found wise; and he (that) is hateful, which is fool-hardy to speak. [There is a still man, that is found wise; and there is an hateful, that is greedy to speak.]

⁶ Soothly there is a still man, not having wit of speech; and there is a still man, knowing the season of covenable, (or of suitable, or of opportune) time. [There is forsooth a still man, not having wit of speech; and there is a still man, witting time of covenable time.]

⁷ A wise man shall be still till to (the right) time; but a jolly man and unprudent man shall not keep time. [A wise man shall be still unto time; the reckless, or wild, forsooth and the unprudent shall not keep time.]

⁸ He that useth many words, hurteth his soul; and he that taketh power to himself unjustly [or wrongfully], shall be hated.

⁹ There is going forth in evils to a man unlearned; and there is finding into (im)pairing. [There is going forth in evils to a man undisciplined; and there is finding into harm.]

¹⁰ There is a gift, which is not profitable; and there is a gift, whose yielding is double.

¹¹ There is making less for glory; and there is a man, which shall raise the head from meekness.

¹² There is a man, that again-buyeth many sins for (a) little price, and restoreth those in sevenfold. [There is, that many things again-buy for little price, and restoring them into sevenfold.]

¹³ A wise man in words maketh himself amiable; but the graces of fools shall be shed out. [A wise man in words maketh himself lovable; the graces forsooth of fools shall be poured out.]

¹⁴ The gift of an unwise man shall not be profitable to thee; for his eyes be sevenfold, that is, his intent is many-fold and diverse.

¹⁵ He shall give little things, and he shall upbraid many things; and the opening of his mouth is enflaming. Today a man lendeth, and tomorrow he asketh (for it again); and such a man is hateful. [Few things he shall give, and many things he shall upbraid; and the opening of the mouth of him is enflaming. Today lendeth a man, and tomorrow he asketh it by plea; and hateful is such a manner man.]

¹⁶ A friend shall not be to a fool [or To a fool shall not be a friend], and grace shall not be to his goods. For they that eat his bread, be of false tongue, that is, flatterers praising his follies;

¹⁷ how often, and how many men shall scorn him?(!) For he parteth [or he dealed] not by even wit that, that was worthy to be had; in like manner and that, that was not worthy to be had.

¹⁸ The falling of a false tongue is as he that falleth in (or on) the pavement; so the falls of evil men shall come hastily. [The sliding of the false tongue as he that is falling in (or on) the pavement; so the fallings of evil men hastily shall come.]

¹⁹ A man without grace is as a vain fable; and it shall be customable in the mouth of unlearned men. [An unkind man as a vain fable; and it shall be often in the mouth of the undisciplined.]

²⁰ A parable, that is, a true sentence and great, shall be reproved (when it cometh out) of the mouth of a fool; for he saith not it in his (or its) time [or forsooth he saith it not in his (or its) time].

²¹ There is a man, that is forbidden to do sin, for (or because of) poverty; and he shall (not) be pricked in his rest. [There is, that is forbidden for mis-ease to sin; and in his rest shall be pricked.]

²² There is a man, that shall lose (or shall destroy) his (own) soul for shame; and for the unprudence of a person he shall lose it. Forsooth he shall lose (or shall destroy) himself for the taking (or the favouring) of a person. [And there is, that shall lose his soul for confusion; and of unprudence of person he shall lose it. Forsooth by exception, (or acceptance, or favouring) of person he shall lose himself.]

²³ There is a man, that for shame promiseth to a friend; and he hath gotten him(self) (an) enemy without cause. [There is, that for confusion promiseth to a friend; and hath won him an enemy willfully.]

²⁴ Leasing (or Lying) is a wicked shame in a man; and it shall be customably in the mouth of unlearned men. [Wicked reproof in a man (is) a leasing; and in the mouth of the undisciplined it shall be busily.]

²⁵ Better, or less evil, is a thief than the customableness of a man, a leasing-monger, (that is, a man accustomed to lying); forsooth both they (or both of them) shall inherit perdition. [Better is a thief than the busyness of a man liar; forsooth both shall heritage perdition.]

²⁶ The manners of men leasing-mongers [or liars] be without honour; and their shame is with them without ceasing.

²⁷ A wise man in words shall bring forth himself; and a prudent man shall please great men.

²⁸ He that worketh his land, shall make high the heap of fruits; and he that worketh rightfulness, shall be enhanced (or exalted) [or and who worketh rightwiseness, he shall much be enhanced]. Soothly he that pleaseth great men, shall escape wickedness.

²⁹ Presents and gifts blind the eyes of judges; and as (one) dumb in the mouth it turneth away the chastisings of them. [Presents and gifts full out blind the eyes of doomsmen; and as a dumb in the mouth he turneth away the chastisings of them.]

³⁰ Wisdom hid, and treasure unseen, what profit is in ever either?

³¹ He is better, that hideth his unwisdom, than a man that hideth his wisdom. [Better is, that covereth his unwisdom, than a man that hideth his wisdom.]

³² (This verse is omitted in the original text.)