Wycliffe - Wisdom - 14

14:1  Eft an other man thenkynge to seile in schip, and bigynnynge to make iournei thorouy ferse wawis, inwardli clepith a tre frelere than the tre that berith hym.

14:2  For whi couetise to gete money foond that idol; and a crafti man made it bi his wisdom.

14:3  But thou, fadir, gouernest bi puruyaunce, for thou yauest weie in the see, and a most stidfast path among wawis;

14:4  schewynge that thou art miyti to make hool of alle thingis, yhe, if a man goith to the see with out schip;

14:5  but that the werkis of thi wisdom schulden not be voide, for this thing men bitaken her lyues, yhe, to a litil tre, and thei passen the see, and ben delyuered bi a schip.

14:6  But at the bigynnyng, whanne proude giauntis perischiden, the hope of the world fledde to a schip, and sente efte seed of birthe to the world, which was gouerned bi thin hond.

14:7  For whi blessid is the tree, bi which riytfulnesse was maad.

14:8  But the idol which is maad bi hond is cursid, bothe it, and he that made it, for sotheli he wrouyte grete trespas; sotheli that idol, whanne it was freel, was nemyd God.

14:9  Forsothe in lijk maner the wickid man and his wickidnesse ben hateful to God.

14:10  For whi that that is maad schal suffre turmentis, with hym that made it.

14:11  For this thing and to the idols of naciouns schal not be biholdyng; for the creaturis of God ben maad in to hatrede, and in to temptacioun to the soule of men, and in to a trappe to the feet of vnwise men.

14:12  For the bigynnyng of fornycacioun is the sekyng out of idols, and the fynding of tho idols is the corrupcioun of lijf.

14:13  Forsothe tho weren not at the bigynnyng, nethir tho schulen be with out ende.

14:14  For whi the voidnesse of men foond these idols in to the world; and therfor the ende of tho is foundun schort.

14:15  For whi the fadir makinge sorewe with bittir morenyng, made soone to hym an ymage of the sone `that was rauyschid; and bigan to worschipe hym now as a god, that was deed thanne as a man; and he ordeynede hooli thingis and sacrifices among hise seruauntis.

14:16  Aftirward in tyme comynge bitwixe, whanne the wickid custom was strong, this errour was kept as a lawe, and ymagis weren worschipid bi lordschip of tirauntis.

14:17  The figure of hem was brouyt fro fer, whiche the men miyten not onoure in opyn, for thei weren fer; and thei maden an opyn ymage of the kyng, whom thei wolden onoure; that bi her bisynesse thei schulden worschipe hym as present, that was absent.

14:18  Forsothe the noble diligence of a crafti man brouyte in also hem, that knewen not, to the worschipyng of thes kyngis.

14:19  For he willynge more to plese that kyng, that took hym, trauelide perfitli bi his craft, to make a licnesse in to betere.

14:20  Sotheli the multitude of men, disseyued bi the fairnesse of werk, gessiden hym now a god, that was onourid as a man bifore that tyme.

14:21  And this was the disseit of mannys lijf; for whi men seruynge greetli, ethir to affeccioun, ethir to kyngis, puttiden to stoonys and trees the name that mai not be comynyd.

14:22  And it suffiside not, that thei erriden aboute the kunnyng of God; but also thei lyuynge in greet batel of vnkunnyng, clepen so many and so grete yuels pees.

14:23  For ethir thei sleynge her sones in sacrifice, ethir makynge derk sacrifices, ethir hauynge wakyngis ful of woodnesse,

14:24  kepen now nether cleene lijf, nether cleene weddyngis; but also o man sleeth another man bi enuye, ethir doynge auowtrie makith sory his neiybore.

14:25  And alle thingis ben medlid togidere, blood, mansleyng, thefte, and feynyng, corrupcioun, vnfeithfulnesse, disturblyng, and forsweryng,

14:26  noise, foryetyng of goodis of the Lord, defoulyng of soulis, chaungyng of birthe, vnstidfastnesse of weddyngis, vnordeyning of letcherie and of vnchastite.

14:27  For whi the worschipyng of cursid idols is the cause, and the bigynnyng, and the ende of al yuel.

14:28  For whi ethir thei wexen woode, while thei ben glad; ether certis thei profecien false thingis, ethir thei lyuen vniustli, ethir thei forsweren soone.

14:29  For the while thei tristen in idols, that ben with out soule, thei sweren yuele, and hopen not, that thei schulen be anoyed.

14:30  Therfor euer eithir schulen come to hem worthili; for thei demeden yuele of God, and yauen tent to idols, and thei sworen vniustli in an idol, and thei dispisiden riytfulnesse.

14:31  For whi an ooth is not vertu, but the peyne of synneris goith forth euere, in to the breking of iust thingis.