Wycliffe - Sirach - 37

37:1  Ech frend schal seie, And Y haue couplid frenschip; but that is a frend, a frend bi name aloone. Whether sorewe is not til to deth?

37:2  Forsothe a felowe of table and a frend schulen be turned to enemyte.

37:3  A! the worste presumpcioun, wherof art thou maad to hile drie malice, and the gilefulnesse therof?

37:4  A felowe of table schal be myrie with a frend in delityngis, and in the dai of tribulacioun he schal be aduersarie.

37:5  A felowe of table schal haue sorewe with a frend, for cause of the wombe; and he schal take scheeld ayens an enemye.

37:6  Foryete thou not thi frend in thi soule, and be thou not vnmyndeful of hym in thi werkis.

37:7  Nyle thou take councel with the fadir of thi wijf; and hide thou councel fro hem that han enuye to thee.

37:8  Ech councelour schewith councel, but ther is a councelour to hym silf.

37:9  Kepe thi soule fro an yuel counselour; firste wite thou, what is his nede, and what he schal thenke in his soule;

37:10  lest perauenture he sende a stake in to the erthe, and seie to thee,

37:11  Thi weie is good, and he stonde ayenward, to se what schal bifalle to thee.

37:12  With an vnreligiouse man trete thou of holynesse, and with an vniust man of riytfulnesse, and with a womman of these thingis whiche sche hatith. With a ferdful man trete thou of batel, with a marchaunt, of cariyng ouer of marchaundies to chepyng; with a biere, of sillyng, with an enuyouse man, of graces to be don;

37:13  with an vnpitouse man, of pytee, with an vnonest man, of oneste, with a werk man of the feeld, of ech werk;

37:14  with a werk man hirid bi the yeer, of the endyng of the yeer, with a slowe seruaunt, of myche worchyng. Yyue thou not tent to these men in al councel,

37:15  but be thou bisi with an hooli man, whom euere thou knowist kepynge Goddis drede,

37:16  whos soule is aftir thi soule. Who euer doutith in derknessis, schal not haue sorewe with thee.

37:17  And stablische thou the herte of good councel with thee; for whi another thing is not more than it to thee.

37:18  The soule of an hooli man tellith out treuthis sum tyme; more than seuene biholderis sittynge an hiy for to biholde.

37:19  And in alle these thingis biseche thou the hiyeste, that he dresse thi weie in treuthe.

37:20  Bifore alle werkis a sothefast word go bifore thee; and a stidfast councel go bifore ech dede.

37:21  A wickid word schal chaunge the herte, of which herte foure partis comen forth; good and yuel, lijf and deth; and a bisi tunge is lord of tho.

37:22  A wijs man hath tauyt many men, and he is swete to his soule.

37:23  He that spekith `bi soffym, is hateful; he schal be defraudid in ech thing.

37:24  For whi grace is not youun of the Lord to hym, for he is defraudid of al wisdom.

37:25  A wijs man is wijs to his soule, and the fruytis of his wit ben worthi to be preisid.

37:26  A wijs man techith his puple, and the fruytis of his wit ben feithful.

37:27  A wijs man schal be fillid with blessyngis, and thei that seen hym schulen preise hym.

37:28  The lijf of a man is in the noumbre of daies; but the daies of Israel ben vnnoumbrable.

37:29  A wijs man in the puple schal enherite onour, and his name schal be lyuynge with outen ende.

37:30  Sone, asaie thi soule in thi lijf; and if it is wickid, yyue thou not power to it;

37:31  for whi not alle thingis speden to alle men, and not ech kynde plesith ech soule.

37:32  Nyle thou be gredi in ech etyng, and schede thou not out thee on ech mete.

37:33  For in many metis schal be sikenesse, and gredynesse schal neiye `til to colrye.

37:34  Many men dieden for glotenye; but he that is abstinent, schal encreesse lijf.