Proverbs 9
1 Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn out her seven pillars.
Wisdom bildide an hous to him silf; he hewide out seuene pileris,
2 She has killed her beasts. She has mingled her wine. She has also furnished her table.
he offride his slayn sacrifices, he medlide wijn, and settide forth his table.
3 She has sent forth her maidens. She cries out upon the highest places of the city:
He sente hise handmaides, that thei schulden clepe to the tour; and to the wallis of the citee.
4 He who is simple, let him turn in here. As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
If ony man is litil; come he to me. And wisdom spak to vnwise men,
5 Come, eat ye of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
Come ye, ete ye my breed; and drynke ye the wiyn, which Y haue medlid to you.
6 Forsake ye simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of understanding.
Forsake ye yong childhed, and lyue ye; and go ye bi the weyes of prudence.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets himself reviling. And he who reproves a wicked man gets himself a bruise.
He that techith a scornere, doith wrong to him silf; and he that vndirnymmeth a wickid man, gendrith a wem to him silf.
8 Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee. Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.
Nile thou vndirnyme a scornere; lest he hate thee. Vndirnyme thou a wise man; and he schal loue thee.
9 Give opportunity to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Yyue thou occasioun to a wise man; and wisdom schal be encreessid to hym. Teche thou a iust man; and he schal haste to take.
10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.
The bigynnyng of wisdom is the dreed of the Lord; and prudence is the kunnyng of seyntis.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.
For thi daies schulen be multiplied bi me; and yeeris of lijf schulen be encreessid to thee.
12 If thou are wise, thou are wise for thyself. And if thou scoff, thou alone shall bear it.
If thou art wijs; thou schalt be to thi silf, and to thi neiyboris. Forsothe if thou art a scornere; thou aloone schalt bere yuel.
13 The foolish woman is clamorous, simple, and knows nothing.
A fonned womman, and ful of cry, and ful of vnleueful lustis, and that kan no thing outirli,
14 And she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
sittith in the doris of hir hous, on a seete, in an hiy place of the cite;
15 to call to those who pass by, who go right on their ways:
to clepe men passinge bi the weie, and men goynge in her iournei.
16 He who is simple, let him turn in here. And as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
Who is a litil man `of wit; bowe he to me. And sche spak to a coward,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread in secret is pleasant.
Watris of thefte ben swettere, and breed hid is swettere.
18 But he knows not that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
And wiste not that giauntis ben there; and the gestis `of hir ben in the depthis of helle. Sotheli he that schal be applied, ether fastned, to hir; schal go doun to hellis. For whi he that goith awei fro hir; schal be saued. (Sheol h7585)
