Sirach 18 — WBMS
18Verse 1He that liveth without beginning and end, made of nought all things together;Verse 2God alone shall be justified,Verse 3and he dwelleth a King unover-come without end. [and dwelleth unvanquished king without end.]Verse 4Who shall suffice to tell out his works? for why who shall seek the great [worthy] things of him?Verse 5But who shall tell out the virtue of his greatness? either who shall lay to for to tell out his mercy?Verse 6It is not to make less, neither to lay to; neither it is to find the great things of God. [There is not to lessen, nor to add to; nor there is to find the great worthy things of God.]Verse 7When a man hath ended, then he shall begin [or then he beginneth]; and when he hath rested, he shall work.Verse 8What is a man, and what is the glory of him? and what is good, either what is the wicked thing of him?Verse 9The number of the days of men, that be commonly [or as much as] an hundred years,Verse 10be areckoned as the drops of the water of the sea; and as the stone of gravel, so a few years in the day of everlastingness [or of the spiritual world].Verse 11For this thing God is patient in them, and sheddeth out [or shall pour out] on them his mercy.Verse 12He saw the presumption, [or pride], of their heart, for it was evil; and he knew the destroying of them, for it was wicked, [or shrewd]. There-fore he filled his mercy in them, and showed to them the way of equity.Verse 13The merciful doing of man is about his neighbour; but the mercy of the Lord is over each [or upon all] flesh. He that hath mercy, and teacheth, and chastiseth as a shepherd his flock,Verse 14do he mercy, taking the teaching of merciful doing; and he that hasteth in the dooms thereof.Verse 15Son, in goods [or good things] give thou not complaint, and in each gift give thou not heaviness of an evil word.Verse 16Whether dew shall not cool heat? so and a word is better than [a] gift.Verse 17Lo! whether a word is not above a good gift? but ever either is with a man justified [or but either with a justified man].Verse 18A fool shall upbraid sharply [or The fool sharply shall give reproof]; and the gift of an untaught man maketh eyes to fail.Verse 19Before the doom make thou ready rightfulness [or rightwiseness] to thee; and learn thou, before that thou speak. Before sickness give thou [or take] medicine;Verse 20and before the doom ask thyself, and thou shalt find mercy in the sight of God.Verse 21Before sickness make thee meek, and in the time of sickness show thy living [or thy conversation].Verse 22Be thou not hindered to pray ever[more], and dread thou not to be justified till to death; for why the meed of God dwelleth without end.Verse 23Before prayer make ready [or prepare] thy soul; and do not thou be as a man that tempteth God, that is, that a man betake himself to peril, and believe that that he may do reasonably, and abide to be delivered of God.Verse 24Have thou mind of ire [or wrath] in the day of ending; and make thou in living the time of yielding.Verse 25Have thou mind of poverty in the day of abundance [or plenty]; and the need of poverty in the time of riches.Verse 26From the morrowtide unto the eventide the time shall be changed; and all these things be swift in the eyes of God.Verse 27A wise man shall dread in all things; and in the days of trespasses he shall flee from unknowing, either sloth.Verse 28Each fell [or witting] man, that is, attentive to eschew evils, by God’s dread, knoweth wisdom; and to him that findeth it, he shall give acknowl-edging to it.Verse 29Witting men in words also they did wisely, and understood truth, and rightfulness [or rightwiseness]; and besought proverbs and dooms.Verse 30Go thou not after thy covetous-nesses [or lusts]; and be thou turned away from thy will.Verse 31If thou givest to thy soul the covetousnesses [or lusts] thereof, it shall make thee into joy to thine enemies.Verse 32Delight thou not in companies, neither in little companies[or small things]; for why the sinning [or trespassing] of them is continual.Verse 33Be thou not mean in the striving of love, and something is [not] to thee in the bag, [or Not be thou mean in striving for money, and there is not to thee nothing in the world]; for why thou shalt be envious to thy soul.