Sirach 48

¹ The sacrifice of a iust man is acceptable, and the Lord schal not foryete the mynde of hym. ² With good wille yelde thou glorie to God, and make thou not lesse the firste fruytis of thin hondis. ³ In ech yifte make glad thi cheer, and in ful out ioiyng halewe thi tithis. ⁴ Yyue thou to the hiyeste aftir his yifte; and with good iye make thou the fyndyng of thin hondis. ⁵ For whi the Lord is a yeldere, and he schal yelde seuene fold so myche to thee. ⁶ Nyle thou offre schrewid yiftis; for he schal not resseyue tho. ⁷ And nyle thou biholde an vniust sacrifice; for the Lord is iuge, and glorie of persoone is not at hym. ⁸ The Lord schal not take a persoone ayens a pore man; and he schal here the preier of hym that is hirt. ⁹ He schal not dispise the preyeris of a fadirles child, nether a widewe, if sche schedith out speche of weilyng. ¹⁰ Whether the teeris of a widew goen not doun to the cheke, and the criyng of hir on hym that ledith forth tho teeris? ¹¹ For whi tho stien fro the cheke til to heuene, and the Lord herere schal not delite in tho.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="12"><sup>12</sup> He that worschipith God in delityng, schal be resseyued; and his preyer schal neiye til to the clowdis. ¹³ The preier of hym that mekith hym silf schal perse clowdis, and til it neiyeth, he schal not be coumfortid, and he schal not go awey, til the hiyeste biholde. ¹⁴ And the Lord schal not be fer, but he schal iuge iust men, and schal make doom; and the strongeste schal not haue pacience in tho, that he troble the bak of hem. ¹⁵ And he schal yelde veniaunce to folkis, til he take awei the fulnesse of proude men, and troble togidere the ceptris of wickid men; ¹⁶ til he yelde to men aftir her dedis, and aftir the werkis of Adam, and aftir the presumpcioun of hym; ¹⁷ til he deme the dome of his puple, and schal delite iust men in his merci. ¹⁸ The merci of God is fair in the tyme of tribulacioun, as clowdis of reyn in the tyme of drynesse. ²⁰ God of alle thingis, haue thou merci on vs; and biholde thou vs, and schewe thou to vs the liyt of thi merciful doyngis. ²¹ And sende thi drede on hethene men, that souyten not thee, that thei knowe that no God is, no but thou; that thei telle out thi grete dedis. ²² Reise thin hond on hethene men aliens, that thei se thi power. ²³ For as thou were halewid in vs in the siyt of hem, so in oure siyt thou schalt be magnefyed in hem; ²⁴ that thei knowe thee, as and we han knowe, that noon othere is God, outakun thee, Lord. ²⁵ Make thou newe signes, and chaunge thou merueilis;