Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 35

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¹He that keepeth the word of God, multiplieth prayer. Wholeful or Wholesome sacrifice is to take heed to the commandments, and to depart or go away from all wickedness. And to offer the pleasing of sacrifice for unrightfulnesses or unrightwise-nesses, and beseeching for sins, is to go away from unrightfulness or unrightwiseness.

²He that offereth purest or tried flour of wheat, shall yield grace, that is, shall give a pleasant service to God; and he that doeth mercy, offereth a sacrifice.

³It is well pleasant or well-pleas-ing to the Lord, to go away from wickedness; and prayer is to go away from unrightfulness or unrightwise-ness.

⁴Thou shalt not appear void before the sight of God;

⁵for why all these things be done for the behests of God.

⁶The offering of a just or right-wise man maketh fat the altar, and is odour of sweetness in the sight of the Highest.

⁷The sacrifice of a just or right-wise man is acceptable, and the Lord shall not forget the mind of him.

⁸With good will yield thou glory to God, and make thou not less the first fruits of thine hands.

⁹In each gift or all gifts make glad thy cheer, and in full out joying hallow thy tithes.

¹⁰Give thou to the Highest after his gift or Give to the Highest after the free gift of him, that is, after the quantity of thy goods, which thou hast of God; and with good eye make thou the findings of thine hands, that is, with rightful intent, ordain thy good works, to the praising of God and not of man.

¹¹For why the Lord is a yielder, and he shall yield sevenfold so much to thee or seven times as much he shall yield to thee.

¹²Do not thou offer shrewd gifts; for he shall not receive those or them. And do not thou behold an unjust or unrightwise sacrifice; for the Lord is judge, and glory, or taking, of persons is not at or with him.

¹³The Lord shall not take or favour a person against a poor man; and he shall hear the prayer of him that is hurt.

¹⁴He shall not despise the prayers of a fatherless child, neither a widow, if she sheddeth or poured out speech of wailing.

¹⁵Whether the tears of a widow go not down to the cheek, and the crying of her on him that leadeth forth those tears? For why those ascend or they go up from the cheek unto heaven, and the Lord hearing shall not delight in those or them.

¹⁶He that worshippeth God in delighting, shall be received; and his prayer shall nigh unto the clouds.

¹⁷The prayer of him that meeketh himself shall pierce clouds, and till it nigheth to God, he shall not be comforted, and he shall not go away, till the Highest behold. And the Lord shall not be far or long away, but he shall judge just or rightwise men, and shall make doom;

¹⁸and the Strongest shall not have patience in those or them, that he trouble the backs of them. And he shall yield vengeance to folks, till he take away the fullness of proud men, or to Gentiles he shall yield venge-ance, to the time that he take away the plenty of proud men, and trouble altogether the sceptres of wicked men;

¹⁹till he yield to men after their deeds, and after the works of Adam, and after the presumption of him; till he deem the doom of his people, and shall delight just or rightwise men in his mercy.

²⁰The mercy of God is fair in the time of tribulation, as clouds of rain in the time of dryness or drought.