The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XVI.

[verse 1] Be thou not glad in wickid sones, if thei ben multiplied; nether delite thou on hem, if the drede of God is not in hem. [verse 2] Bileue thou not to the lijf of hem [Bileue thou not to the liyf of hem; that is, bileue thou not that thei schu|len be amendid in eelde, for whi this is ful seeldene; in xxij. c^o. of Prouerbis. Lire here. C.] , and biholde thou not in to the trauels of hem. [verse 3] For whi betere is oon dredynge God, than a thousynde wickid sones. [verse 4] And it is more profitable to die with out sones, than to leeue wickid sones. [verse 5] A cuntrei shal be enhabitid of o witti man; and it schal be maad desert of thre wickid men. [verse 6] Myn iȝe siȝ many othere thingis, and myn eere herde strongere thingis than these. [verse 7] Fier schal brenne an hiȝ in the synagoge of synneris, and yre schal brenne an hiȝ in a folk vnbileuful. [verse 8] Elde giauntis that weren distried, tristynge on her vertu, preieden [verse 9] not for her synnes; and God sparide not the pilgrymage [the pilgrym|age; that is, her liyf, which is a pilgrymage on erthe. Lire here. C.] of hem, but he killide hem, and curside hem, for the pride of her word. [verse 10] He hadde not merci on hem, and he loste al the folk enhaunsynge hem silf in her synnes. [verse 11] And as he killide sixe hundrid thousynde of foot men, that weren gaderid togidere in the hardnesse [in the hard|nesse; that is, rebelte aȝenus God. if oon, etc.; that is, if oon aloone hadde be rebel to God. gilteles; of peyne. Lire here. C.] of her herte; and if oon hadde be hard nollid, wondur if he hadde be giltles. [verse 12] For whi merci and ire is with hym; preier is myȝti [preyer is myȝti; that is, the preyer of iust men is myȝti anentis God; that re|leessith peyne, ether nameli temperith peyne ma|naassid. and schedinge out ire; that is, makinge to bringe in peyne. bi his mersi; that is, with temperure of Goddis mersi. chastisyng; that is, pu|nisching of ech man. is demed; that is punyschid. a synnere in raueyn; that is, a cruel man, vsinge the synne of ra|ueyn. schal not ascape; the punysching of God. the suf|fraunce, etc.; that is, the pacience of a merciful man, that suffrith aduersites, for it is rewardid of God in co|uenable tyme. of his pilgrim|age; that is, aftir the entent which he hath in present liyf, which liyf is seid the pilgrymage of man. Lire here. C.] , and schedynge out ire. [verse 13] Bi his merci, so is the chastisyng of ech man; he is demyd bi hise werkis. [verse 14] A synnere in raueyn schal not ascape; and the suf|feraunce of hym that doith merci schal not tarie. [verse 15] Al merci schal make place to ech man, aftir the merit of his werkis, and aftir the vndurstonding of his pil|grymage. [verse 16] Seie thou not, Y schal be hid fro God; and fro the hiȝeste [preyer is myȝti; that is, the preyer of iust men is myȝti anentis God; that re|leessith peyne, ether nameli temperith peyne ma|naassid. and schedinge out ire; that is, makinge to bringe in peyne. bi his mersi; that is, with temperure of Goddis mersi. chastisyng; that is, pu|nisching of ech man. is demed; that is punyschid. a synnere in raueyn; that is, a cruel man, vsinge the synne of ra|ueyn. schal not ascape; the punysching of God. the suf|fraunce, etc.; that is, the pacience of a merciful man, that suffrith aduersites, for it is rewardid of God in co|uenable tyme. of his pilgrim|age; that is, aftir the entent which he hath in present liyf, which liyf is seid the pilgrymage of man. Lire here. C. ¶ the hiȝeste; that is, heuene. Lire here. C.] , who schal haue mynde on me? [verse 17] Seie thou not, Y schal not be knowun in a greet puple; for whi which is my soule in so greet a crea|ture?

[verse 18] Lo! heuene [Lo! heuene; of the eir. and heuenys of he|uenys; that is, heuene of ster|ris, and of cris|tal, and briȝt heuene. Lire here. C.] , and the [Om. A pr. m.] heuenes of heuenes, the greet occian, and al erthe, and tho thingis that ben in tho, schulen [verse 19] be mouyd in his siȝt; munteyns togidere, and litle hillis, and the foundementis of erthe; and whanne God biholdith tho, tho schulen be schakun togidere with tremblyng. [verse 20] And in alle these thingis the herte [the herte; of a man that de|nyeth that God|dis riȝtfulnesse and kunnyng is strecchid forth to the pu|nysching of synnes. Lire here. C.] is vnwijs, and ech herte is vndur|stondun of hym. [verse 21] And who vndurstondith hise weies? and `who vndurstondith [Om. I.] a tempest, which the iȝe of man siȝ not? [verse 22] For whi ful many werkis of hym ben `in hid [hid in A pr. m. C pr. m. et plures.] thingis, but who schal telle out the werkis of his riȝtfulnesse, ether who schal suffre [who schal suffre; as if he seye, fewe, for whi iust men that moun suffre ben in the lesse noum|bre. the testa|ment; that is, the elde testa|ment and newe.] ? For whi the testament is fer fro summe men [is fer fro summen; as to worching, thouȝ not as to knowing. in the ending; that is, is reseru|ed to the fynal doom, where men schulen ȝelde resoun of ech word, and myche strong|liere of dede. maad litil in herte; he is maad litil, that settith his ende in temporal goodis, that are lesse than man. thenkith veyn thingis; for whi hise thouȝtis failen fro du ende, and so tho ben veyne, as mede|cyn is seid veyn, that fail|ith to brynge in helthe. Lire here. C.] ; and the axyng of men is in the endyng. [verse 23] He that is maad litil in herte, thenkith veyn thingis; and a man vnpru|dent and a fool thenkith fonned thingis. [verse 24] Sone, here thou me, and lerne thou tech|yng of wit, and ȝyue thou tent to my wordis in thin herte; and Y schal seie techyng in equyte, and Y schal seke to telle out wisdom. And ȝyue thou tent to [verse 25] my wordis in thin herte; and Y seie in equyte of spirit [in equyte of spirit; that is, with out ony beringe doun of truthe. in hise folkis; that is, hise aungels, that ben hise sones, and hise knyȝtis; for whi God assignede hiȝere bodies and lowere to be gouerned of aungelis distant, ether assigned in special places. Lire here. C.] the vertues, whiche God hath set on hise werkis at the bigynnyng, and in treuthe Y telle out the kunnyng of him. [verse 26] In the doom of God ben hise werkis fro the bigynnyng; and in the ordynaunce of tho he departyde the partis of tho, and he departide the bigynnyngis of tho in hise folkis. [verse 27] He ournede with outen ende the werkis of hem [the werkis of hem; heuene and elementis ben the werkis of aungelis, not for aungels ben makeris of tho, but ben mynystris ether gouernours, bi that maner of speking bi which a vyner is seid the werk of a vyntiler, and an hows to be gouerned is seid the werk of the dispendere. this word with outen ende is set here propirly as to heuenes, whos ournyngis schulen dwelle stably, as to thingis gendrable and corruptible, that schulen ceesse in the ende of the world. this word withouten ende is takun for long tyme, as hillis ben seid euerlastinge. the soule of ech lyuynge thing; bothe of thing that hath resoun, and of thing that hath feeling. telde bifor his face; that is, schewide in dede that tho goodis weren maad of God for thilke soule, for it vside tho goodis. turn|yng aȝen; for whi tho thingis ben brouȝt aȝen in to God bi a resonable soule, in heri|ynge hym for hise goodis, and bi soule that ȝyueth feeling in his maner, for it is mater of Goddis heri|yng. Lire here. C.] thei hungriden not, nether traueliden, and thei ceessiden not of her werkis. [verse 28] Ech schal not make streit the nexte to hym, til in to with outen ende. [verse 29] Be thou not vnbileueful to the word of him. [verse 30] Aftir these thingis God bihelde `in to [to A pr. m.] the erthe, and fillide it with hise goodis. [verse 31] Forsothe the soule of ech lyuynge

thing teld bifore his face; and thilke soule is eft the turnyng aȝen of tho thinges.