Sir 23

1Lord, fadir, and lordli gouernour of my lijf, forsake thou me not in the thouyt and counsel of hem; nether suffre thou me to falle in that schenschipe. 2Who settith aboue in my thouyt beetyngis, and in myn hert the techyng of wisdom, that in the vnkunnyngis of hem he spare not me, and that the trespassis of hem appere not? 3Lest myn vnkunnyngis encreesse, and my trespassis be multiplied, and my synnes be plenteuouse; and lest Y falle in the siyt of myn aduersaries, and myn enemy haue ioie. 4Lord, fadir, and God of my lijf, forsake thou not me in the thouyt of hem. 5Yyue thou not to me enhaunsyng of myn iyen; and turne thou awei fro me al schrewid desijr. 6Do thou awei fro me the coueitisis of the wombe, and the coueitisis of letcherie take me not; and yyue thou not `me to a soule vnreuerent and vndiscreet. 7Sones, here ye the techyng of mouth; and he that kepith it, schal not perische bi hise lippis, nether schal be 8sclaundrid in worste werkis A synnere and proude man schal be takun in his vanite; and a cursid man schal be sclaundrid in tho. 9Thy mouth be not customable to swering; for whi many fallyngis ben ther ynne. 10Forsothe the nemyng of God be not customable in thi mouth, and be thou not meddlid to the names of seyntis; for thou schalt not be giltles of hem. 11For as a seruaunt that is axid bisili, schal not wante wannesse; so ech man swerynge and nemynge schal not be purgid of synne in al. 12A man swerynge myche schal be fillid with wickidnesse; and veniaunce schal not go awei fro his hous. 13And if he disseyueth a brother, his trespas schal be aboue hym; and if he feyneth, he schal trespasse doubli. 14And if he swerith in veyn, he schal not be iustified; for whi his hous schal be fillid with worst yelding. 15Also ayenward another speche is in to deth; be it not found in the eritage of Jacob. 16For whi alle these thingis schulen be don awei fro merciful men; and thei schulen not delite in trespassis. 17Thi mouth be not customable to vnreuerent speche; for whi a word of synne is in it. 18Haue thou mynde on thi fadir and modir; for thou stondist in the myddis of grete men. 19Lest perauenture God foryete thee in the siyt of hem; and lest thou maad a fool bi thi customablenesse, suffre schenschipe, and haddist leuere to be not borun, and curse the dai of thi birthe. 20A man customable in the wordis of schenschipe, in alle daies schal not be tauyt. 21Twei kyndis ben plenteuouse in synnes, and the thridde bringith ire and perdicioun. 22An hoot soule brennynge as fier schal not be quenchid, til it swolewe sum thing; 23and a wickid man in the mouth of his fleisch schal not faile, til he kyndle fier. 24Ech breed is swete to a letcherouse man; he schal not be maad weri, trespassynge `til to the ende. 25Ech man that passith his bed, doith dispit ayens his soule, and seith, Who seeth me? 26Derknessis cumpassen me, and wallis kyueren me, and no man biholdith me. Whom drede Y? The hiyeste schal not haue mynde on my synnes. 27And 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. 28And 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. 29For whi alle thingis weren knowun to the Lord, bifore that thei weren maad of nouyt; so and aftir the makyng he biholdith alle thingis. 30This 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. 31And he schal be schenschip to alle men; for he vndurstood not the drede of the Lord. 32So and ech womman forsakynge hir hosebonde schal do synne, and ordeynynge eritage of an alien matrimonye. 33For 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. 34`This womman schal be brouyt in to the chirche, and me schal biholde on hir sones. 35Hir sones schulen not yyue rootis, and hir braunchis schulen not yyue fruyt. 36Thei schulen leeue the mynde of hir in to cursyng, and the schenschipe of hir schal not be don awei. 37And 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. 38It is greet glorie to sue the Lord; for whi lengthe of daies schulen be takun of hym.