Wycliffe - Sirach - 41

41:1  A! deth, thi mynde is ful bittir to an vniust man, and hauynge pees in hise richessis;

41:2  to a restful man, and whose weies ben dressid in alle thingis, and yit myyti to take mete.

41:3  A! deth, thi doom is good to a nedi man, and which is maad lesse in strengthis,

41:4  and failith for age, and to whom is care of alle thingis, and vnbileueful, that leesith wisdom.

41:5  Nyle thou drede the doom of deth; haue thou mynde what thingis weren byfore thee, and what thingis schulen come on thee; this dom is of the Lord to ech man.

41:6  And tho thingis that schulen come on thee in the good plesaunce of the hiyeste; whethir ten yeer, ether an hundrid, ether a thousynde.

41:7  For whi noon accusyng of lijf is in helle.

41:8  The sones of abhomynaciouns ben the sones of synneris; and thei that dwellen bisidis the housis of wickid men.

41:9  The eritage of the sones of synneris schal perische; and the contynuaunce of schenschipe with the seed of hem.

41:10  Sones playnen of a wickid fadir; for thei ben in schenschip for hym.

41:11  Wo to you, ye wickid men, that han forsake the lawe of the hiyeste.

41:12  And if ye be borun, ye schulen be borun in cursidnesse; and if ye ben deed, youre part schal be in cursidnesse.

41:13  Alle thingis that ben of the erthe, schulen turne in to the erthe; so wickid men schulen turne fro cursyng in to perdicioun.

41:14  The morenyng of men is in the bodi of hem; but the name of wickid men schal be doon awei.

41:15  Haue thou bisynesse of a good name; for whi this schal dwelle more with thee, than a thousynde tresouris grete and preciouse.

41:16  The noumbre of daies is the terme of good lijf; but a good name schal dwelle with outen ende.

41:17  Sones, kepe ye techyng in pees; for whi wisdom hid, and tresour vnseyn, what profit is in euer either?

41:18  Betere is a man that hidith his foli, than a man that hidith his wisdom.

41:19  Netheles turne ye ayen in these thingis that comen forth of my mouth.

41:20  For it is not good to kepe alle vnreuerence, and not alle thingis plesen alle men in feith.

41:21  Be ye aschamed of fornycacioun, bifor fadir, and bifor modir; and of a leesyng, bifore a iustice, and bifore a myyti man;

41:22  and of trespas, bifor a prince, and bifore a iuge; and of wickidnesse, bifore a synagoge, and a puple; and of vnriytwisnesse,

41:23  bifore a felow, and a frend;

41:24  and of thefte, in the place where ynne thou dwellist; of the treuthe and testament of God; of sittyng at the mete in looues, and of the blemyschyng of yifte, and takyng;

41:25  of stilnesse, bifore hem that greeten; of the biholdyng of a letcherouse womman, and of the turnyng a wey of the cheer of a cosyn.

41:26  Turne thou not awey the face fro thi neiybore; and be thou war of takyng a wei a part, and not restorynge.

41:27  Biholde thou not the womman of an othere man; and enserche thou not her hand maide, nether stonde thou at hir bed.

41:28  Be thou war of frendis, of the wordis of vpbreidyng; and whanne thou hast youe, vpbreide thou not.