Sirach 2

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Son, when you apply yourself to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare your soul for temptation.	1 Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.
2 Humble your heart, and persevere. Incline your ear, and accept words of understanding. And you should not hurry away in the time of distress.	2 Humble thy heart, and endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not haste in the time of clouds.
3 Endure steadfastly for God. Join yourself to God, and persevere, so that your life may increase in the very end.	3 Wait on God with patience: join thyself to God, and endure, that thy life may be increased in the latter end.
4 Accept everything that will happened to you, and persevere in your sorrow, and have patience in your humiliation.	4 Take all that shall be brought upon thee: and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience.
5 For gold and silver are tested in fire, yet truly, acceptable men are tested in the furnace of humiliation.	5 For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.
6 Believe God, and he will restore you to health. And straighten your way, and hope in him. Observe his fear, and grow old in it.	6 Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Keep his fear, and grow old therein.
7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. And do not turn away from him, lest you fall.	7 Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy: and go not aside from him, lest ye fall.
8 You who fear the Lord, believe in him. And your reward will not be taken away.	8 Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void.
9 You who fear the Lord, hope in him. And mercy will approach you, to your delight.	9 Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight.
10 You who fear the Lord, love him. And your hearts will be illuminated.	10 Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened.
11 My sons, consider the nations of men, and know that not one of them hoped in the Lord and was confounded.	11 My children behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded.
12 For who has remained in his commandment and been abandoned? Or who has called upon him, and yet he despised him?	12 For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him?
13 For God is upright and merciful, and he will forgive sins in the day of tribulation. And he is the Protector to all those who seek him in truth.	13 For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth.
14 Woe to the duplicitous heart, and to the wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner who walks the earth by two ways!	14 Woe to them that are of a double heart and to wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways.
15 Woe to the dissolute in heart, who do not trust God! For, as a result, they will not be protected by him.	15 Woe to them that are fainthearted, who believe not God: and therefore they shall not be protected by him.
16 Woe to those who have lost endurance, and who have abandoned upright ways, and who have turned aside to depraved ways!	16 Woe to them that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the right ways, and have gone aside into crooked ways.
17 And what will they do when the Lord begins to examine them?	17 And what will they do, when the Lord shall begin to examine?
18 Those who fear the Lord will not be unbelieving toward his Word. And those who love him will keep to his way.	18 They that fear the Lord, will not be incredulous to his word: and they that love him, will keep his way.
19 Those who fear the Lord will seek the things that are well-pleasing to him. And those who love him will be filled with his law.	19 They that fear the Lord, will seek after the things that are well pleasing to him: and they that love him, shall be filled with his law.
20 Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and they will sanctify their souls in his sight.	20 They that fear the Lord, will prepare their hearts, and in his sight will sanctify their souls.
21 Those who fear the Lord keep his commandments, and they will have patience even until his examination,	21 They that fear the Lord, keep his Commandments, and will have patience even until his visitation,
22 saying: “If we do not do penance, then we will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men.”	22 Saying: If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men.
23 For according to his greatness, so also is his mercy with him.	23 For according to his greatness, so also is his mercy with him.