Sirach 3

¹ For it was a cursid seed at the bigynnyng. And thou not dredynge ony man, yauest foryyuenesse to the synnes of hem. ² For whi who schal seie to thee, What hast thou do? ether who schal stonde ayens thi doom? ethir who schal come in thi siyt, to be auengere of wickid men? ether who schal arette to thee, if naciouns perischen, whiche thou madist? ³ For whi noon other than thou is God, to whom is charge of alle thingis, that thou schewe, that thou demest doom not vniustli. ⁴ Nether king nether tiraunt in thi siyt schulen enquere of these men, whiche thou hast lost. ⁵ Therfor sithen thou art iust, thou disposist iustli alle thingis; also, fadir, thou condempnest hym, that owith not to be punyschid, and thou gessist hym a straunger fro thi vertu. ⁶ For whi thi vertu is the bigynnyng of riytfulnesse; and for this, that thou art lord of alle men, thou makist thee to spare alle men. ⁷ For thou, that art not bileued to be perfit in vertu, schewist vertu; and thou ledist ouer these men, that knowen not thee, in hardynesse. ⁸ But thou, lord of vertu, demest with pesiblenesse, and disposist vs with greet reuerence; for it is suget to thee to mow, whanne thou wolt. ⁹ Forsothe thou hast tauyt thi puple bi siche werkis, that it bihoueth a iuge to be iust, and benygne; and thou madist thi sones of good hope, for thou demest, and yyuest place to penaunce in synnes. ¹⁰ For if thou turmentidist the enemyes of thi seruauntis, and men due to deth with so greet perseyuyng, and delyueridist, and yauest tyme and place, bi which thei myyten be chaungid fro malice; ¹¹ with hou greet diligence demest thou thi sones, to whos fadris thou yauest othis and couenauntis of good biheestis? ¹² Therfor whanne thou yyuest chastisyng to vs, thou betist many fold oure enemyes, that we demynge thenke thi goodnesse; and whanne it is demyd of vs, that we hope thi merci. ¹³ Wherfor and to hem, that lyueden vnwiseli, and vniustli in her lijf, thou yauest souereyn turmentis, bi these thingis whiche thei worschipiden. ¹⁴ For thei erriden ful longe in the weie of errour, and gessiden goddis these thingis that ben superflu in beestis, and lyueden bi custom of yonge children vnwitti. ¹⁵ For this thing thou yauest doom, in to scorn, as to children vnwitti; ¹⁶ but thei, that weren not amendid bi scornyngis and blamyngis, feeliden the worthi doom of God. ¹⁷ For thei baren heuyli in these thingis, whiche thei suffriden, in whiche thingis thei suffrynge hadden indignacioun; thei seynge hym, whom thei denyeden sum tyme hem to knowe, knewen hym veri God, bi these thingis whiche thei gessiden goddis among hem, whanne tho weren destried; for which thing and the ende of her condempnacioun schal come on hem. ¹⁹ Forsothe alle men ben veyn, in whiche the kunnyng of God is not; and of these thingis that ben seyn goode, thei myyten not vndurstonde him, that is, and thei perseyuynge the werkis knewen not, who was the worchere; ²⁰ but thei gessiden goddis gouernours of the world, ethir the fier, ether the wynd, ethir the eir maad swift, ether the cumpas of sterris, ether ful myche watir, ethir the sunne and moone; ²¹ and if thei delitiden in the fairnesse of tho thingis, and gessiden tho goddis, wite thei, hou myche the lord of tho is fairere than tho; for whi the gendrere of fairnesse made alle these thingis. ²² Ethir if thei wondriden on the vertu and werkis of tho thingis, vndurstonde thei of tho, that he that made these thingis, is strongere than tho; ²³ for bi the greetnesse of fairnesse and of creature the creatour of these thingis myyte be seyn knowyngli. ²⁴ But netheles yit in these men is lesse playnt; for thei erren, in hap sekynge God, and willynge to fynde. ²⁵ For whanne thei lyuen in hise werkis, thei seken, and holden for a soth, that tho thingis ben goode, that ben seyn. ²⁶ Eft sotheli it owith not to be foryouun to these men. ²⁷ For if thei miyten wite so myche, that thei miyten gesse the world, hou founden thei not liytliere the lord therof? ²⁸ forsothe thei ben cursid, and the hope of hem is among deed men, that clepiden goddis the werkis of mennus hondis, gold, and siluer, the fyndyng of craft, and licnessis of beestis, ether a stoon vnprofitable, the werk of an eld hond. ²⁹ Ethir if ony crafti man, a carpenter, hewith doun of the wode a streiyt tre, and rasith awei perfitli al the riynde therof, and vsith his craft diligentli, and makith a vessel ful profitable in to conuersacioun of lijf; ³⁰ sotheli he vsith the relifs of this werk to the makyng redi of mete; and the residue of these thingis, ³¹ which he makith to no werk, a crokid tre, and ful of knottis, he graueth diligentli bi his voidnesse, and bi the kunnyng of his craft he figurith it, and licneth it to the ymage of a man,