Sirach 29

¹ He that synneth ayens his soule, schal repente; and he that is myrie in malice, schal be cursid. ² Reherse thou not an hard word, and wickid; and thou schalt not be maad lesse. ³ Nyle thou telle thi wit to frend and enemye; and if trespas is to thee, nyle thou make nakid. ⁴ For he schal here thee, and schal kepe thee, and he as defendynge the synne schal hate thee; and so he schal be euere with thee. ⁵ Thou hast herd a word ayens thi neiybore; die it togidere in thee, and triste thou that it schal not breke thee. ⁶ A fool trauelith greetli of the face of a word, as the sorewe of beryng of a yong child. ⁷ An arowe fastned in the hipe of a dogge, so a word in the herte of a fool. ⁸ Repreue thou a frend, lest perauenture he vndurstonde not, and seie, Y dide not; ether if he hath do, lest he adde to do eft. ⁹ Repreue thou a neiybore, lest perauenture he seie not; and if he seith, lest perauenture he reherse. ¹⁰ Repreue thou a frend, for whi trespassynge is don ofte; ¹¹ and bileue thou not to ech word. Ther is a man that fallith bi his tunge, but not of wille. ¹² For whi who is he, that trespassith not in his tunge? Repreue thou a neiybore, bifore that thou manaasse; 13 and yyue thou place to the drede of the hiyeste. For whi al wisdom is the drede of God, and in that wisdom for to drede God; and the ordynaunce of lawe is in al wisdom. 14 And the teching of wickidnesse is not wisdom; and the prudence of synnes is not good thouyt. 15 Ther is wickidnesse of prudence, and cursidnesse is ther ynne; and ther is an vnwijs man, which is maad litil in wisdom. 16 Betere is a man that hath litil in wisdom, and failynge in wit in the drede of God, than he that hath plentee of wit, and brekith the lawe of the hiyeste. 17 Ther is certeyn sutilte, and it is wickid. 18 And ther is a man, that sendith out a certeyn word, tellynge out treuthe. Ther is a man, that mekith hym silf wickidly; and hise ynnere thingis ben ful of gile. 19 And ther is a iust man, that makith low greetli hym silf of myche mekenesse; and ther is a iust man, that bowith the face, and feyneth hym to se not that, that is vnknowun. 20 Thouy he is forbodun of feblenesse of strengthis to do synne; if he fyndith tyme to do yuele, he schal do yuel. 21 A man is knowun bi siyt; and a witti man is knowun bi meetyng of face. 22 The clothing of bodi, and the leiyyng of teeth, and the entring of a man, tellen out of hym. 23 Ther is fals repreuyng in the ire of a man ful of dispisyng; and ther is dom which is not preued to be good; and ther is a stille man, and he is prudent. 25 It is ful good to repreue, more than to be wrooth, and to forbede not a man knoulechyng in preiere. 26 The coueitise of a geldyng hath defoulid the maidynhed of a yong womman, 27 so he that makith wickid dom bi violence. 28 It is ful good, that a man that is repreued schewe opynli penaunce; for so thou schalt ascape wilful synne.