Sirach 8

Wycliffe Bible

8 Chide thou not with a mighty man, lest thou fall into his hands. [Strive thou not with a mighty man, lest peradventure thou fall in the hands of him.]

² Strive thou not with a rich man, lest peradventure he make (a) play again-ward to (or towards) thee [or lest again-ward he set strife to thee]. For why gold and silver hath lost (or destroyed) many men; and it stretcheth forth till to the heart[s] of kings, and turneth (them).

³ Chide thou not with a man, a jangler, and lay thou not trees into his fire. [Strive thou not with a tonguey man, and do not prepare thou into the fire of him wood.]

⁴ Commune thou not with an untaught man, lest he speak evil of thy kindred.

⁵ Despise thou not a man turning away himself from sin, neither upbraid thou him [or nor put thou reproof to him]; have thou mind, that all we be in corruption.

⁶ Despise thou not a man in his eld (age); for why (some) of us men wax eld. [Not despise thou a man in his eld; forsooth of us they wax old.]

⁷ Do not thou make joy of (or over) thine enemy (being) dead, witting that all we die (or that we all die), and will (or desire) not (to) come into joy of (or with) our enemies.

⁸ Despise thou not the telling of wise priests, and be thou conversant in the proverbs of them [or and in the proverbs of them (al)together dwell thou]; for of (or from) them thou shalt learn wisdom, and teaching of understanding, and to serve without (com)plaint to great men.

⁹ The telling of elder men pass not (by) thee [or Pass not beside thee the telling of elders]; for they have learned of (or from) their fathers. For of (or from) them thou shalt learn understanding; and in the time of need thou shalt give [an] answer.

¹⁰ Kindle thou not the coals of sinners, and reprove them; and be thou not burnt with the flame of [the] fire of their sins.

¹¹ Stand thou not against the face of a man full of despising [or the face of the strifeful]; lest he sit as an espyer to thy mouth.

¹² Do not thou lend to a man stronger than thou; that (or but) if thou hast lent, have thou it as lost. [Do thou not lend to a man stronger than thyself; that if thou lendest, have it as lost.]

¹³ Promise thou not above [or over] thy power or virtue; that (or but) if thou hast promised, bethink thou as yielding, for thou art holden to do thy might (that is, thou art held to pay it back).

¹⁴ Deem thou not against a judge; for he deemeth after that, that is just.

¹⁵ Go thou not in the way with an hardy man, lest peradventure he aggregate (or weigh down) his evils in (or on) thee; for he goeth after his (own) will (or his own desire), and thou shalt perish together with (him through) his folly.

¹⁶ Make thou not chiding [or jangling] with a wrathful man, and go thou not into (a) desert with an hardy man; for why blood, that is, shedding out of innocent blood, is as nought before him, and where none help is, [or and where is not help], (or where there is no help), he shall hurtle thee down.

¹⁷ Have thou not counsel with fools; for they may not love (or be not able to love), no but those things that please them.

¹⁸ Make thou not a counsel before a stranger; for thou knowest not, what he shall bring forth.

¹⁹ Make not thine heart known to each man, but only to a very (or to a true) friend, and proved; lest peradventure he bring to thee false grace, that is, feigned friendship, and despise thee. [To all men thine heart open thou not; lest peradventure it bring into thee false grace, and it put reproof to thee.]