Content

CAP 50
1 Symount, the sone of Onyas, was a greet preest, which in his lijf vndursettide the hous, and in hise daies strengthide the temple.
2 Also the hiynesse of the temple was bildide of hym, the double bildyng, and hiy wallis of the temple.
3 In the daies of hym the pittis of watris camen forth; and as the see tho weren fillid aboue mesure.
4 Which Symount helide his folk, and delyuerede it fro perdicioun.
5 Which was myyti to alarge the citee; which gat glorie in the conuersacioun of folk; and alargide the entryng of the hous, and of the large cumpas aboute.
6 As the dai sterre in the myddis of a cloude, and as a ful moone schyneth in hise daies;
7 and as the sunne schynynge, so he schynede in the temple of God;
8 as a reyn bouwe schynynge among the cloudis of glorie, and as a flour of rosis in the daies of veer, and as lilies, that ben in the passyng of watir, and as encense smellynge in the daies of somer; as fier schynynge,
9 and ensence brennynge in fier;
10 as a sad vessel of gold, ourned with ech preciouse stoon;
11 as an olyue tree spryngynge forth, and a cipresse tree reisynge it silf an hiy; while he took the stoole of glorie, and was clothid in the perfeccioun of vertu.
12 In the stiyng of the hooli auter, the clothing of hoolynesse yaf glorie.
13 Forsothe in takynge partis of the hoond of prestis, and he stood bisidis the auter. The coroun of britheren, as a plauntyng of cedre in the hil Liban, was aboute hym;
14 so thei stoden aboute hym as boowis of palm tree, and alle the sones of Aaron stoden in her glorie.
15 Sotheli the offryng of the Lord was in the hondis of hem, bifore al the synagoge of Israel; and he vside ful endyng on the auter, to alarge the offryng of the hiy kyng.
16 And he dresside his hond in moiste sacrifice; and sacrifiside in the blood of grape.
17 He schedde out in the foundement of the auter, the odour of God to the hiy prince.
18 Thanne the sones of Aaron crieden lowde; thei sowneden in trumpis betun out with hameris, and maden a grete vois herd in to mynde bifore God.
19 Thanne al the puple hastiden togidere, and fellen doun on the face on the erthe, for to worschipe her Lord God, and to yyue preyers to almyyti God an hiy.
20 And men syngynge in her voices alargiden; and a soun ful of swetnesse was maad in the greet hous.
21 And the puple preiede the hiy Lord in preier, til that the onour of the Lord was doon perfitli, and thei parformeden her yifte.
22 Thanne Symount cam doun, and reiside hise hondis in to al the congregacioun of the sones of Israel, to yyue glorie to God bi hise lippis, and to haue glorie in the name of hym.
23 And he reherside his preier, willynge to schewe the vertu of God.
24 And he preyede more the Lord of alle, that made grete thingis in ech lond; which encreesside oure daies fro the wombe of oure modir, and dide with vs bi his mercy.
25 Yyue he gladnesse of herte to vs, and that pees be maad in Israel bi euerlastynge daies;
26 that Israel bileue, that Goddis merci is with vs, that he delyuere hem in her dayes.
27 Mi soule hatith twei folkis; but the thridde is not a folk, whom Y hate.
28 Thei that sitten in the hil of Seir, and the Filisteis, and the fonned puple, that dwellith in Sichemys.
29 Jhesus, the sone of Sirach, a man of Jerusalem, wroot in this book the techyng of wisdom, and of kunnyng; and he renulide wisdom of his herte.
30 He is blessid, that dwellith in these goodis; he that settith tho in his herte, schal euere be wijs.
31 For if he doith these thingis, he schal be miyti to alle thingis; for whi the liyt of God is the step of hym.