Sir 32

1 Thei han set thee a gouernour, nyle thou be enhaunsid; be thou among hem as oon of hem. 2 Haue thou cure of hem, and so biholde thou; and whanne al thi cure is fillid, sitte thou to mete. 3 That thou be glad for hem, and take the ournement of grace; and gete coroun, and dignyte of congregacioun. 4 Speke thou the gretter man in birthe; 5 for whi the word of hym that loueth kunnyng bicome thee first; and lette thou not musik. 6 Where heryng is not, schede thou not out a word; and nyle thou be enhaunsid vncouenabli in thi wisdom. 7 A iemme of carbuncle in the ournement of gold; and comparisoun of musikis in the feeste of wyn. 8 As in the makyng of gold is a signe of smaragde, so the noumbre of musikis is in myrie and mesurable wyn. 9 Here thou stille, and good grace schal come to thee for reuerence. 10 Yonge man, speke thou vnnethis in thi cause, whanne nede is. 11 If thou art axid twies, the heed haue thin answere. 12 In many thingis be thou as vnkunnyng, and here thou stille togidere and axynge. 13 And presume thou not to speke in the myddis of grete men; and where elde men ben, speke thou not myche. 14 Leityng schal go bifore hail, and grace schal go bifore schamfastnesse, and good grace schal come to thee for reuerence. 15 And in the our of risyng tifle thee not; forsothe renne thou bifore first in to thin hous, and there clepe thou thee to answer, and there pleie thou. 16 And do thi conseitis, and not in synnes, and in a proud word. 17 On alle these thingis blesse thou the Lord, that made thee, and fillynge thee greetli of alle hise goodis. 18 He that dredith God, schal take his techyng; and thei that waken to hym, schulen fynde blessyng. 19 He that sekith the lawe, schal be fillid therof; and he that doith tretourousli, schal be sclaundrid ther ynne. 20 Thei that dreden God, schulen fynde iust dom; and schulen kyndle riytfulnesse as liyt. 21 A synful man schal eschewe blamyng; and aftir his wille he schal fynde comparisoun. 22 A man of counsel schal not leese vndirstonding; a man alien and proud schal not drede dredyng. 23 Yhe, aftir that he hath do with that drede with out councel, and he schal be repreued bi hise suyngis. 24 Sone, do thou no thing with out councel; and aftir the dede thou schalt not repente. 25 Go thou not in the weie of fallyng, and offende thou not ayens stoonys. Bitake thou not thee to a trauelouse weie, lest thou sette sclaundir to thi soule; 26 and be thou war of thi sones, and perseyue thou of thi meyneals. 27 In al thi werk bileue thou bi feith of thi soule; for whi this is the keping of comaundementis. 28 He that bileueth to God, takith heede to the comaundementis; and he that tristith in hym, schal not be maad lesse.