Sirach 25

¹ Seie thou not, He made me for to erre; for whi wickid men ben not nedeful to hym. ² The Lord hatith al cursidnesse of errour, and it schal not be amyable to hem, that dreden hym. ³ At the bigynnyng God made man, and lefte him in the hond of his councel. ⁴ He addide hise comaundementis, and lawis; ⁵ if thou wolt kepe the comaundementis, tho schulen kepe thee, and kepe plesaunt feith with outen ende. ⁶ He hath set to thee watir and fier; dresse thin hond to that, that thou wolt. ⁷ Bifor man is lijf and deth, good and yuel; that, that plesith hym, schal be youun to hym. ⁸ For whi the wisdom of God is myche, and he is strong in power, and seeth alle men without ceessing. ⁹ The iyen of the Lord ben to hem, that dreden hym; and he knowith al the trauel of man. ¹⁰ He comaundide not to ony man to do wickidli; and he yaf not to ony man space to do synne. ¹¹ For he coueytith not the multitude of sones vnfeithful and vnprofitable. ¹³ Be thou not glad in wickid sones, if thei ben multiplied; nether delite thou on hem, if the drede of God is not in hem. ¹⁴ Bileue thou not to the lijf of hem, and biholde thou not in to the trauels of hem. ¹⁵ For whi betere is oon dredynge God, than a thousynde wickid sones. ¹⁶ And it is more profitable to die with out sones, than to leeue wickid sones. ¹⁷ A cuntrei shal be enhabitid of o witti man; and it schal be maad desert of thre wickid men. ¹⁸ Myn iye siy many othere thingis, and myn eere herde strongere thingis than these. ¹⁹ Fier schal brenne an hiy in the synagoge of synneris, and yre schal brenne an hiy in a folk vnbileuful. ²⁰ Elde giauntis that weren distried, tristynge on her vertu, preieden not for her synnes; ²¹ and God sparide not the pilgrymage of hem, but he killide hem, and curside hem, for the pride of her word. ²² He hadde not merci on hem, and he loste al the folk enhaunsynge hem silf in her synnes. ²³ And as he killide sixe hundrid thousynde of foot men, that weren gaderid togidere in the hardnesse of her herte; and if oon hadde be hard nollid, wondur if he hadde be giltles. ²⁴ For whi merci and ire is with hym; preier is myyti, and schedynge out ire. ²⁵ Bi his merci, so is the chastisyng of ech man; he is demyd bi hise werkis. ²⁶ A synnere in raueyn schal not ascape; and the sufferaunce of hym that doith merci schal not tarie.