Wisdom 1

Wycliffe Bible

1 Ye that deem the earth, love rightfulness; feel ye of the Lord in goodness, and seek ye him in the simpleness of heart. [Love ye rightwiseness, that deem the earth; feeleth of the Lord in goodness, and in simpleness of heart seeketh him.]

² For he is found of them, that tempt not him; forsooth he appeareth to them, that have faith into him. [For he is found of them, that tempt him not; he appeareth forsooth to them, that faith have in him.] (For he is found by those, who do not tempt him; he appeareth to those, who have faith in him.)

³ For why wayward thoughts part (one) from God; but proved virtue reproveth unwise men. [Shrewd (or depraved) forsooth thoughts sever from God; proved forsooth virtue chastiseth unwise men.]

⁴ For why wisdom shall not enter into an evil-willed soul; neither it shall dwell in a body subject to sins. [For into an evil-willing soul shall not go in wisdom; nor shall dwell in a body subject to sins.]

⁵ Forsooth the Holy Ghost of wisdom shall fly or flee away from a feigned man, and he shall take away himself from thoughts, that be without understanding; and the unwise man shall be punished of (or by) wickedness coming above (or upon him). [An holy spirit forsooth shall flee the feigner, or the feigned thing, of discipline, and shall take himself away from thoughts, that be without understanding; and he shall be chastised from the over-coming wickedness.]

⁶ For the spirit of wisdom is benign, and he shall not deliver a cursed man from his lips; for why God is witness of his reins, and the searcher of his heart is true, and the hearer of his tongue.

⁷ For why the Spirit of the Lord hath filled the world; and this thing, that containeth all things, hath the cunning (or the knowing) of (the) voice.

⁸ Therefore this he that speaketh wicked thing, may not be hid; and doom and punishing shall not pass (by) him. [For that he that speaketh wicked things, may not lurk; nor chastising doom shall beside pass him.]

⁹ For why asking shall be in the thoughts of a wicked man. Forsooth the hearing of his words shall come to God, and to the punishing of his wickednesses; [In the thoughts forsooth of the unpious asking shall be. Of the sermons forsooth of him hearing to God shall come, and to the correction of the wickedness of him;]

¹⁰ for the ear of fervent love heareth all things [or for the ear of the jealous heareth all things], and the noise of grudgings (or of grumblings) shall not be hid.

¹¹ Therefore keep ye you from grudging (or from grumbling), that profiteth nothing, and from backbiting spare ye the tongue; for a dark word shall not go into vain; forsooth the mouth that lieth, slayeth the soul.

¹² Do not ye covet death, in the error of your life, neither get ye perdition in (or with) the works of your hands; [Willeth not (or Desireth not) (to) love death, in error of your life, nor purchase ye perdition in the works of your hands;]

¹³ for God made not death, neither he is glad in the perdition of living men. [for God made not death, nor gladdeth in the losing (or in the destroying) of men alive.]

¹⁴ For why God made (out) of nought all things, that those should be; and he made the nations of the world able to be healed. For why medicine of destroying is not in those men, neither the realm of hells is in (the) earth. [Forsooth God made, that all things were; and able to health he made the nations of the roundness of lands. Forsooth there is not in them leeching of destruction, nor the realm of hell is in the earth.]

¹⁵ For rightfulness is everlasting, and undeadly (or immortal); but unrightfulness is (the) getting of death. [Rightwiseness forsooth is perpetual, and undeadly; unrightwiseness forsooth purchasing of death.]

¹⁶ Forsooth wicked men called that unrightfulness by hands and words, and they guessed it a friend, and floated away, and they putted promises to it; for they be worthy (of) the death, that be of the part thereof. [Unpious men forsooth with hands and words haunted it, and esteemed it a friend, flowed down, and promises they putted to it; for death they be worthy, that be of the part of it.]