Sirach 41

¹ The leeste thing pleese thee for a greet thing; and thou schalt not here the schenschipe of pilgrymage. ² It is wickid lijf to seke herbore fro hous in to hous; and where he schal be herborid, he schal not do tristili, nethir he schal opene the mouth. ³ He schal be herborid, and he schal feede, and yyue drinke to vnkynde men; and yit he schal here bittir thingis. ⁴ Passe, thou that art herborid, and araye a table; and yyue thou meetis to othere men, tho thingis that thou hast in the hond. ⁵ Go thou out fro the face of the onour of my frendis, for the frendschipe, ethir affinyte, of myn hous; bi herboryng thou art maad a brother to me. ⁶ These thingis ben greuouse to a man hauynge wit; the repreuyng of hous, and the dispising of the vsurer. ⁸ He that loueth his sone, yyueth bisili betingis to hym, that he be glad in hise laste thing, and that the sone touche not the doris of neiyboris. ⁹ He that techith his sone, schal be preisid in hym; and schal haue glorie in hym in the myddis of menyals. ¹⁰ He that techith his sone, sendith the enemye in to enuye; and in the myddis of frendis he schal haue glorie in that sone. ¹¹ The fadir of hym is deed, and he is as not deed; for he hath left aftir hym a sone lijk hym. ¹² He siy in his lijf, and was glad in hym; and in his deth he was not sori, nether was aschamed bifore enemyes. ¹³ For he lefte a defendere of the hous ayens enemyes; and yeldynge grace to frendis. ¹⁴ For the soulis of sones he schal bynde togidere hise woundis; and hise entrails schulen be disturblid on ech vois. ¹⁵ An hors vntemyd, `ether vnchastisid, schal ascape hard, and a sone vnchastisid schal ascape heedi. ¹⁶ Flatere thou the sone, and he schal make thee dredinge; pleie thou with hym, and he schal make thee sory. ¹⁷ Leiye thou not with hym, lest thou haue sorewe togidere, and at the laste thi teeth schulen be astonyed. ¹⁸ Yyue thou not power to hym in yongthe, and dispise thou not hise thouytis. ¹⁹ Boowe thou his necke in yongthe, and bete thou hise sidis, while he is a yong child; lest perauenture he wexe hard, and bileue not to thee, and he schal be sorewe of soule to thee. ²⁰ Teche thi sone, and worche in hym; lest thou offende in to the filthe of hym. ²¹ Betere is a pore man hool, and strong in myytis, than a riche man feble, and betun with malice. ²² The helthe of soule is in the hoolynesse of riytfulnesse, and it is betere than ony gold and siluer; and a strong bodi is betere than ful myche catel.