Sir 42 | Wycl | STEP | Double thou not a word of heryng, of the schewyng of an hid word; and thou schalt be verily with out schame, and thou schalt fynde grace in the siyt of alle men. Be thou not schent for alle these thingis; and take thou not a persoone, that thou do trespas.

‏ Sirach 42

1 Double thou not a word of heryng, of the schewyng of an hid word; and thou schalt be verily with out schame, and thou schalt fynde grace in the siyt of alle men. Be thou not schent for alle these thingis; and take thou not a persoone, that thou do trespas. 2 Be thou war of the lawe and testament of the hiyeste, of doom to iustifie a wickid man; 3 of the word of felowis, and of weigoeris, and of the yyuyng of eritage of frendis; 4 of the euennesse of balaunce, and of weiytis, of the getyng of many thingis, and of fewe thingis; 5 of corrupcioun of biyng, and of marchauntis, and of myche chastising of sones; and of a worste seruaunt, to make the side to bleede. 6 A seelyng is good on a wickid man. 7 Where ben many hondis, close thou; and what euer thing thou schalt bitake, noumbre thou, and weie thou; forsothe discryue thou, ether write, ech yifte, and takyng. 8 Absteine thou fro the techyng of an vnwitti man, and fool, and of eldere men that ben demed of yonge men; and thou schalt be lernd in alle thingis, and thou schalt be comendable in the siyt of alle men. 9 An hid douyter of a fadir is wakynge and bisynesse of hym; sche schal take awei sleep; lest perauenture sche be maad auowtresse in hir yong wexynge age, and lest sche dwellynge with the hosebonde, be maad hateful; 10 lest ony tyme sche be defoulid in hir virginytee, and be foundun with child in the kepyng of hir fadir; leste perauenture sche dwellynge with the hosebonde, do trespasse, ether certis be maad bareyn. 11 Ordeyne thou kepyng on a letcherouse douyter, lest ony tyme sche make thee to come in to schenschipe to enemyes, of bacbityng in the citee, and of castyng out of the puple; and sche make thee aschamed in the multitude of puple. 12 Nyle thou take heed to ech man in the fairnesse; and nyle thou dwelle in the myddis of wymmen. 13 For whi a mouyte cometh forth of clothis, and the wickidnesse of a man cometh forth of a womman. 14 For whi the wickidnesse of a man is betere than a womman doynge wel, and a womman schendyng in to schenschipe. 15 Therfor be thou myndeful of the werkis of the Lord; and Y schal telle the werkis of the Lord, whiche Y siy, in the wordis of the Lord. 16 The sunne liytnynge bihelde by alle thingis; and the werk therof is ful of the glorie of the Lord. 17 Whether the Lord made not hooli men to telle out alle hise merueilis, whiche the Lord almyyti stidfast in his glorie schal conferme? 18 He schal enserche the depthe, and the herte of men; and he schal thenke in the felnesse of hem. 19 For the Lord knew al kunnyng, and bihelde in to the signe of the world; tellynge tho thingis that ben passid, and tho thingis that schulen come; schewynge the steppis of hid thingis. 20 And no thouyt passith hym, and no word hidith it silf fro hym. 21 He made fair the grete werkis of his wisdom, which is bifore the world, and til in to the world; nether ony thing is encreessid, 22 nether is decreessid, and he hath no nede to the counsel of ony. 23 Alle hise werkis ben ful desirable, and to biholde, as a sparcle which is. 24 Alle these thingis lyuen, and dwellen in to the world; and alle thingis obeien to hym in al nede. 25 Alle thingis ben double, oon ayens oon; and he made not ony thing to faile. He schal conferme the goodis of ech; and who schal be fillid, seynge his glorie?