Sirach 2

My son, ^aif thou come to serve the Lord,

Prepare thy soul for temptation.

²Set thy heart aright, and ^bconstantly endure,

And make not haste in time of ^ctrouble.

^3dCleave unto him, and depart not away,

That thou mayest be increased ^eat thy last end.

⁴Whatsoever ^cis brought upon thee take cheerfully,

And be patient when thou art changed to ^fa low estate.

⁵For ^ggold is tried in the fire,

And ^hacceptable men in the furnace of ^fadversity.

⁶ⁱBelieve in him, and he will help thee;

Order thy way aright, and trust in him.

⁷Ye that fear the Lord, ^jwait for his mercy;

And ^kgo not aside, lest ye fall.

⁸Ye that fear the Lord, believe him;

And your reward shall not fail.

⁹Ye that fear the Lord, hope for good,

And for everlasting joy and mercy.

^10lLook at the generations of old, and see;

Did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded?

Or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken?

Or ^mwhom did he ever despise, that called upon him?

¹¹For ⁿthe Lord is full of compassion and mercy,

Longsuffering, and very pitiful, and ^oforgiveth sins,

And saveth in time of affliction.

¹²Woe be to ^pfearful hearts, and ^qfaint hands,

And the sinner that goeth ^rtwo ways!

¹³Woe unto him that is fainthearted! for he believeth not;

Therefore shall he not be defended.

¹⁴Woe unto you ^sthat have lost patience!

And what will ye do when the Lord shall ^tvisit you?

¹⁵They that fear the Lord will not disobey his word;

And ^uthey that love him will keep his ways.

¹⁶They that fear the Lord will seek that which is wellpleasing unto him;

And they that love him shall be filled with the law.

¹⁷They that fear the Lord will ^xprepare their hearts,

And humble their souls in his sight,

^18ySaying, ^zWe will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men:

For as his ^amajesty is, so is his mercy.

III.