Proverbs 17
1 Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
Betere is a drie mussel with ioye, than an hous ful of sacrifices with chidyng.
2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
A wijs seruaunt schal be lord of fonned sones; and he schal departe eritage among britheren.
3 A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
As siluer is preued bi fier, and gold is preued bi a chymnei, so the Lord preueth hertis.
4 A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
An yuel man obeieth to a wickid tunge; and a fals man obeieth to false lippis.
5 He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
He that dispisith a pore man, repreueth his maker; and he that is glad in the fallyng of another man, schal not be vnpunyschid.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
The coroun of elde men is the sones of sones; and the glorie of sones is the fadris of hem.
7 Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
Wordis wel set togidere bisemen not a fool; and a liynge lippe bicometh not a prince.
8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
A preciouse stoon moost acceptable is the abiding of hym that sekith; whidur euere he turneth hym silf, he vndurstondith prudentli.
9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
He that helith trespas, sekith frenschipis; he that rehersith bi an hiy word, departith hem, that ben knyt togidere in pees.
10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
A blamyng profitith more at a prudent man, than an hundryd woundis at a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Euere an yuel man sekith stryues; forsothe a cruel aungel schal be sent ayens hym.
12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
It spedith more to meete a femal bere, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid, than a fool tristynge to hym silf in his foli.
13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
Yuel schal not go a wei fro the hous of hym, that yeldith yuels for goodis.
14 To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
He that leeueth watir, is heed of stryues; and bifor that he suffrith wrong, he forsakith dom.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous— both are detestable to the LORD.
Bothe he that iustifieth a wickid man, and he that condempneth a iust man, euer ethir is abhomynable at God.
16 Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
What profitith it to a fool to haue richessis, sithen he mai not bie wisdom? He that makith his hous hiy, sekith falling; and he that eschewith to lerne, schal falle in to yuels.
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
He that is a frend, loueth in al tyme; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.
18 A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
A fonned man schal make ioie with hondis, whanne he hath bihiyt for his frend.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
He that bithenkith discordis, loueth chidingis; and he that enhaunsith his mouth, sekith fallyng.
20 The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
He that is of weiward herte, schal not fynde good; and he that turneth the tunge, schal falle in to yuel.
21 A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
A fool is borun in his schenschipe; but nether the fadir schal be glad in a fool.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
A ioiful soule makith likinge age; a sorewful spirit makith drie boonys.
23 A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
A wickid man takith yiftis fro the bosum, to mys turne the pathis of doom.
24 Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
Wisdom schyneth in the face of a prudent man; the iyen of foolis ben in the endis of erthe.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
A fonned sone is the ire of the fadir, and the sorewe of the modir that gendride hym.
26 It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
It is not good to brynge in harm to a iust man; nether to smyte the prince that demeth riytfuli.
27 A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
He that mesurith his wordis, is wijs and prudent; and a lerud man is of preciouse spirit.
28 Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
Also a foole, if he is stille, schal be gessid a wijs man; and, if he pressith togidre hise lippis, he `schal be gessid an vndurstondynge man.
