The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Almes must be done with all mekenesse. The stu∣dy of wysdome and her frute. A iudge ought to be mercyfull. An exhortacyon to eschewe euyll and to do good.

CAPI. IIII.

MY sonne, defraude not the poore of his [ A] almes and turne not away thine eyes from him that hath nede.* 1.1 Despyse not an hungry soule, and defye not the poore in his necessitye: greue not the herte of hym y^t is helplesse, and withdrawe not the gyft frō the nedefull. Refuse not the prayer of one y^t is in trouble, and turne not awaye thy face from the nedy. Cast not thyne eyes asyde frō the poore, that thou gyue him not occasyon to speake euyll of the. For yf he complayne of the in the bytternesse of his soule, his pray¦er shal be herd: euen he y^t made him, shal heare him. Be curteous vnto the companye of the poore humble thy soule vnto the elder, and bowe downe thy heade to a man of worship. Let it not greue y^t to bow down thine eare vn¦to the poore, but paye thy dette, and gyue him a frendly answere, and that with meke¦nesse.

Delyuer hym that suffreth wronge from [ B] the hand of the oppressour,* 1.2 and be not faynt herted when thou syttest in iudgement. Be mercyfulll vnto the fatherles as a father▪ & be in stede of an husband vnto theyr mother so shalte thou be as an obedient sonne of the hyghest and he shall loue the more then thy mother doth.

Wisdome bretheth lyfe into her children, receyueth them that seke her, and wyll go be¦fore thē in the way of ryghtousnes. He that loueth her loueth life: and they that seke her dylygently, shal haue great ioye. They that kepe her, shall haue the herytage of lyfe: for where she entreth ī, there is y^e blessīg of God. They that honoure her, shall be the seruaun¦tes of the holy one: and they that loue her, are beloued of God. Who so gyueth eare vnto her, shall iudge the Heathen: and he that hathe respecte vnto her, shall dwell safe¦lye.

He that beleueth her, shall haue her in pos¦session, [ C] and his generacyon shall endure: for when he falleth, she shal go with hym, before al. Feare, drede and temptacion shal she bring vpon hym, and trye hym in her doctryne: tyll she haue so proued hym in his thoughtes, y^t he commytte his soule vnto her. Then shall she stablysh hym, brynge the ryght way vnto hym, make hym a glad man, shewe hym her secretes, and heape vpon hym the treasures of knowledge, vnderstandyng and ryghtous¦nes. But yf he goo wronge, she shall forsake him, and gyue hym ouer in to the handes of his enemy.

My sonne make moch of the tyme, eschue [ D] the thing that is euyl, and for thy lyfe,* 1.3 shame not to saye the truth. For there is a shame y^t bryngeth synne, and there is a shame that bryngeth worshyp and fauoure. Accepte no personne after thyne owne wyll,* 1.4 that thou be not confounded to thyne owne de∣caye. Be not ashamed of thy neyghboure in his aduersyte, and kepe not back thy counsell when it maye do good, neither hyde the wys¦dome in her beauty. For in the tonge is wis∣dome

Page [unnumbered]

knowen, so is vnderstandynge, know∣ledge and lernyng in the talking of the wyse and stedfastnesse in the workes of ryghtous∣nesse.

In no wyse speake agaynst the worde of truth, but be ashamed of y^e lyes of thyne own ignoraunce. Shame not to confesse thyne er∣rour, submyt not thy self vnto euerye mā bi¦cause of syn. Withstand not y^e face of y^e mygh¦tye, and stryue not agaynst the streame. But for the truthe stryue thou vnto deathe, and God shall fyght for the agaynst thyne enne∣myes. Be not hastye in thy tong, neither slak and negligent in thy workes. Be not as a ly∣on in thyne owne house, destroynge thy housholde folkes, and oppressyng them that are vnder the. Let thyne hande be stretched out to receyue,* 1.5 and shut when thou shouldest gyue.