Wycliffe - Sirach - 9

9:1  Loue thou not gelousli the womman of thi bosum; lest sche schewe on thee the malice of yuel doctryn.

9:2  Yyue thou not to a womman the power of thi soule; lest sche entre in thi vertu, and thou be schent.

9:3  Biholde thou not a womman of many willis; lest perauenture thou falle in to the snaris of hir.

9:4  Be thou not customable with a daunseresse, nethir here thou hir; lest perauenture thou perische in the spedi werk of hir.

9:5  Biholde thou not a virgyn; lest perauenture thou be sclaundrid in the feirnesse of hir.

9:6  Yyue not thi soule to hooris in ony thing; lest thou leese thee, and thi soule, and thin eritage.

9:7  Nyle thou biholde aboute in the lanys of the cytee; nethir erre thou in the large streetis therof.

9:8  Turne awei thi face fro a womman `wel arayed; and biholde thou not aboute the fairnesse of othere.

9:9  Many men han perischid for the fairnesse of a womman; and `herbi couetise brenneth `an hiy as fier.

9:10  Ech womman which is an hoore, ethir customable to fornycacioun, schal be defoulid as a fen in the weie.

9:11  Many men wondrynge on the fairnesse of an alien womman weren maad repreuable, for whi the speche of hir brenneth an hiy as fier.

9:12  Sitte thou not in ony maner with an alien womman, nether reste thou with hir on a bed;

9:13  and iangle thou not with hir in wyn, lest perauenture thin herte boowe in to hir, and thou falle in to perdicioun bi thi blood.

9:14  Forsake thou not an eld frend; for a newe frend schal not be lijk hym.

9:15  Newe wijn is a newe frend; it schal wexe eld, and thou schalt drinke it with swetnesse.

9:16  Coueyte thou not the glorie and richessis of a synnere; for thou noost, what distriyng of hym schal come.

9:17  The wrong of vniust men plese not thee, and wite thou that a wickid man schal not plese til to hellis.

9:18  Be thou fer fro a man that hath power to sle, and thou schalt not haue suspicioun of the drede of deth;

9:19  and if thou neiyest to hym, nyle thou do ony trespasse, lest perauenture he take awei thi lijf.

9:20  Knowe thou the comynyng of deth; for thou schalt entre in to the myddis of snaris, and thou schalt go on the armuris of hem that sorewen.

9:21  Bi thi vertu kepe thee fro thi neiybore; and trete thou with wise men and prudent men.

9:22  Just men be gestis, ethir mete feris, to thee; and gloriyng be `to thee in the dreed of God.

9:23  And the thouyt of God be to thee in wit; and al thi tellynge be in the heestis of the hiyeste.

9:24  Werkis schulen be preisid in the hond of crafti men, and the prince of the puple in the wisdom of his word; forsothe in the wit of eldere men a word.

9:25  A man, a ianglere, is dredeful in his citee; and a fool hardi man in his word schal be hateful.