Sirach 34

¹ and a wickid man in the mouth of his fleisch schal not faile, til he kyndle fier. ² Ech breed is swete to a letcherouse man; he schal not be maad weri, trespassynge til to the ende. 3 Ech man that passith his bed, doith dispit ayens his soule, and seith, Who seeth me? 4 Derknessis cumpassen me, and wallis kyueren me, and no man biholdith me. Whom drede Y? The hiyeste schal not haue mynde on my synnes. 5 And he vndirstondith not, that the iye of him seeth alle thingis; for whi the drede of siche a man puttith awei fro him the drede of God, and the iyen of men that dreden hym putten awei fro hym Goddis drede. 6 And he knew not, that the iyen of the Lord ben myche more clerere than the sunne, and biholden alle the weies of men, and the depthe of the see, and biholden the hertis of men in to hid partis. 7 For whi alle thingis weren knowun to the Lord, bifore that thei weren maad of nouyt; so and aftir the makyng he biholdith alle thingis. 8 This man schal be punyschid in the stretis of the citee; he schal be dryuun a wei as an horse colt, and he schal be takun, where he hopith not. 9 And he schal be schenschip to alle men; for he vndurstood not the drede of the Lord. 10 So and ech womman forsakynge hir hosebonde schal do synne, and ordeynynge eritage of an alien matrimonye. 11 For firste sche was vnbileueful in the lawe of the hiyeste, and the secounde tyme sche forsook hir hosebonde; and the thridde tyme sche was defoulid in auowtrie, and ordeynede to hym sones of another man. 12 This womman schal be brouyt in to the chirche, and me schal biholde on hir sones. ¹³ Hir sones schulen not yyue rootis, and hir braunchis schulen not yyue fruyt. ¹⁴ Thei schulen leeue the mynde of hir in to cursyng, and the schenschipe of hir schal not be don awei. ¹⁵ And thei that ben left schulen knowe, that no thing is betere than the drede of God, and nothing is swettere than to biholde in the comaundementis of the Lord. ¹⁶ It is greet glorie to sue the Lord; for whi lengthe of daies schulen be takun of hym. ¹⁸ Wisdom schal preise his soule, and he schal be onourid in God; and he schal haue glorie in the myddis of his puple. ¹⁹ And he schal opene his mouth in the chirchis of the hiyeste; and he schal haue glorie in the siyt of his vertu. ²⁰ And he schal be enhaunsid in the myddis of his puple; and he schal wondre in hooli plentee. ²¹ And in the multitude of chosun men he schal haue preisyng; and among blessid men he schal be blessid, ²² and seie, I, the firste gendrid bifore ech creature, cam forth fro the mouth of the hiyeste. ²³ I made in heuenes, that liyt neuere failynge roos vp, and as a cloude Y hilide al erthe. ²⁴ Y dwellide in hiyeste thingis, and my trone in a piler of cloude. ²⁵ Y aloone yede aboute the cumpas of heuene, and Y perside the depthe of the see; and Y yede in the wawis of the see, ²⁶ and Y stood in al the lond. ²⁷ And Y hadde the firste dignite in ech puple, and in ech folk; ²⁸ and Y trad bi vertu on the neckis of alle excelent men and meke; and in alle these men Y souyte reste, and Y schal dwelle in the eritage of the Lord. ²⁹ Thanne the creatour of alle comaundide, and seide to me; and he that formyde me, restide in my tabernacle; and he seide to me, ³⁰ Dwelle thou in Jacob, and take thou eritage in Israel, and sende thou rootis in my chosun men. ³¹ Y was gendrid of the bigynnyng and bifore worldis, and Y schal not faile `til to the world to comynge; and Y mynystride in an hooli dwellyng bifore hym.