Sirach 26
Sirach chapter 26 from the John Wycliffe Bible (c.1395)
1 Seie thou not, Y schal be hid fro God; and fro the hiyeste, who schal haue mynde on me?
2 Seie thou not, Y schal not be knowun in a greet puple; for whi which is my soule in so greet a creature?
3 Lo! heuene, and the heuenes of heuenes, the greet occian, and al erthe, and tho thingis that ben in tho, schulen be mouyd in his siyt;
4 munteyns togidere, and litle hillis, and the foundementis of erthe; and whanne God biholdith tho, tho schulen be schakun togidere with tremblyng.
5 And in alle these thingis the herte is vnwijs, and ech herte is vndurstondun of hym.
6 And who vndurstondith hise weies? and who vndurstondith a tempest, which the iye of man siy not?</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="7"><sup>7</sup> For whi ful many werkis of hym ben in hid thingis, but who schal telle out the werkis of his riytfulnesse, ether who schal suffre? For whi the testament is fer fro summe men; and the axyng of men is in the endyng.
8 He that is maad litil in herte, thenkith veyn thingis; and a man vnprudent and a fool thenkith fonned thingis.
9 Sone, here thou me, and lerne thou techyng of wit, and yyue thou tent to my wordis in thin herte; and Y schal seie techyng in equyte, and Y schal seke to telle out wisdom. And yyue thou tent to my wordis in thin herte;
10 and Y seie in equyte of spirit the vertues, whiche God hath set on hise werkis at the bigynnyng, and in treuthe Y telle out the kunnyng of him.
11 In the doom of God ben hise werkis fro the bigynnyng; and in the ordynaunce of tho he departyde the partis of tho, and he departide the bigynnyngis of tho in hise folkis.
12 He ournede with outen ende the werkis of hem; thei hungriden not, nether traueliden, and thei ceessiden not of her werkis.
13 Ech schal not make streit the nexte to hym, til in to with outen ende.
14 Be thou not vnbileueful to the word of him.
15 Aftir these thingis God bihelde `in to the erthe, and fillide it with hise goodis.
16 Forsothe the soule of ech lyuynge thing teld bifore his face; and thilke soule is eft the turnyng ayen of tho thinges.
18 God formede man of erthe; and aftir his ymage he made man.
19 And eft he turnede man in to that ymage; and aftir hym silf he clothide hym with vertu.
20 He yaf to hym the noumbre of daies, and tyme; and he yaf to him power of tho thingis that ben on erthe.
21 He settide the drede of man on al fleisch, and he was lord of beestis and fliynge briddis.
22 He formyde of man an help lijk hym; he yaf to hem councel, and tunge, and iyen, and eeris, and herte to thenke out; and he fillide hem with techyng of vndurstondyng.
23 He made to hem the kunnyng of spirit, he fillide the herte of hem with wit; and he schewide to hem yuels and goodis.
24 He settide the iye of hem on the hertes of hem, to schewe to hem the grete thingis of hise werkis,
25 that thei preise togidere the name of halewyng; and to haue glorie in hise meruels, that thei telle out the grete thingis of hise werkis.
26 He addide to hem techyng; and he enheritide hem with the lawe of lijf.
27 He ordeynyde an euerlastynge testament with hem; and he schewide to hem hise riytfulnesse, and domes.
28 And the iye of hem siy the grete thingis of his onour, and the eeris of hem herden the onour of vois; and he seide to hem, Take heede to you fro al wickid thing.
29 And he comaundide to hem, to ech man of his neiybore.
