Sirach 42 Double thou not a word of heryng, of the schewyng of an hid word; and thou schalt be verily with out schame, and thou schalt fynde grace in the siyt of alle men. Be thou not schent for alle these thingis; and take thou not a persoone, that thou do trespas.

Wycliffe⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Double thou not a word of heryng, of the schewyng of an hid word; and thou schalt be verily with out schame, and thou schalt fynde grace in the siyt of alle men. Be thou not schent for alle these thingis; and take thou not a persoone, that thou do trespas. ² Be thou war of the lawe and testament of the hiyeste, of doom to iustifie a wickid man; ³ of the word of felowis, and of weigoeris, and of the yyuyng of eritage of frendis; ⁴ of the euennesse of balaunce, and of weiytis, of the getyng of many thingis, and of fewe thingis; ⁵ of corrupcioun of biyng, and of marchauntis, and of myche chastising of sones; and of a worste seruaunt, to make the side to bleede. ⁶ A seelyng is good on a wickid man. ⁷ Where ben many hondis, close thou; and what euer thing thou schalt bitake, noumbre thou, and weie thou; forsothe discryue thou, ether write, ech yifte, and takyng. ⁸ Absteine thou fro the techyng of an vnwitti man, and fool, and of eldere men that ben demed of yonge men; and thou schalt be lernd in alle thingis, and thou schalt be comendable in the siyt of alle men. ⁹ An hid douyter of a fadir is wakynge and bisynesse of hym; sche schal take awei sleep; lest perauenture sche be maad auowtresse in hir yong wexynge age, and lest sche dwellynge with the hosebonde, be maad hateful; ¹⁰ lest ony tyme sche be defoulid in hir virginytee, and be foundun with child in the kepyng of hir fadir; leste perauenture sche dwellynge with the hosebonde, do trespasse, ether certis be maad bareyn. ¹¹ Ordeyne thou kepyng on a letcherouse douyter, lest ony tyme sche make thee to come in to schenschipe to enemyes, of bacbityng in the citee, and of castyng out of the puple; and sche make thee aschamed in the multitude of puple. ¹² Nyle thou take heed to ech man in the fairnesse; and nyle thou dwelle in the myddis of wymmen. ¹³ For whi a mouyte cometh forth of clothis, and the wickidnesse of a man cometh forth of a womman. ¹⁴ For whi the wickidnesse of a man is betere than a womman doynge wel, and a womman schendyng in to schenschipe. ¹⁵ Therfor be thou myndeful of the werkis of the Lord; and Y schal telle the werkis of the Lord, whiche Y siy, in the wordis of the Lord. ¹⁶ The sunne liytnynge bihelde by alle thingis; and the werk therof is ful of the glorie of the Lord. ¹⁷ Whether the Lord made not hooli men to telle out alle hise merueilis, whiche the Lord almyyti stidfast in his glorie schal conferme? ¹⁸ He schal enserche the depthe, and the herte of men; and he schal thenke in the felnesse of hem. ¹⁹ For the Lord knew al kunnyng, and bihelde in to the signe of the world; tellynge tho thingis that ben passid, and tho thingis that schulen come; schewynge the steppis of hid thingis. ²⁰ And no thouyt passith hym, and no word hidith it silf fro hym. ²¹ He made fair the grete werkis of his wisdom, which is bifore the world, and til in to the world; nether ony thing is encreessid, ²² nether is decreessid, and he hath no nede to the counsel of ony. ²³ Alle hise werkis ben ful desirable, and to biholde, as a sparcle which is. ²⁴ Alle these thingis lyuen, and dwellen in to the world; and alle thingis obeien to hym in al nede. ²⁵ Alle thingis ben double, oon ayens oon; and he made not ony thing to faile. He schal conferme the goodis of ech; and who schal be fillid, seynge his glorie?