Proverbs 16
1 The designs of the heart are man's, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord.
It perteyneth to man to make redi the soule; and it perteyneth to the Lord to gouerne the tunge.
2 All a man's ways are clean to himself; but the Lord puts men's spirits into his scales.
Alle the weies of men ben opyn to the iyen of God; the Lord is a weiere of spiritis.
3 Put your works into the hands of the Lord, and your purposes will be made certain.
Schewe thi werkys to the Lord; and thi thouytis schulen be dressid.
4 The Lord has made everything for his purpose, even the sinner for the day of evil.
The Lord wrouyte alle thingis for hym silf; and he made redi a wickid man to the yuel dai.
5 Everyone who has pride in his heart is disgusting to the Lord: he will certainly not go free from punishment.
Abhomynacioun of the Lord is ech proude man; yhe, thouy the hond is to the hond, he schal not be innocent. The bigynnyng of good weie is to do riytwisnesse; forsothe it is more acceptable at God, than to offre sacrifices.
6 By mercy and good faith evil-doing is taken away: and by the fear of the Lord men are turned away from evil.
Wickidnesse is ayen bouyt bi merci and treuthe; and me bowith awei fro yuel bi the drede of the Lord.
7 When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his haters be at peace with him.
Whanne the weyes of man plesen the Lord, he schal conuerte, yhe, hise enemyes to pees.
8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great wealth with wrongdoing.
Betere is a litil with riytfulnesse, than many fruytis with wickidnesse.
9 A man may make designs for his way, but the Lord is the guide of his steps.
The herte of a man schal dispose his weie; but it perteyneth to the Lord to dresse hise steppis.
10 Decision is in the lips of the king: his mouth will not go wrong in judging.
Dyuynyng is in the lippis of a king; his mouth schal not erre in doom.
11 True measures and scales are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.
The domes of the Lord ben weiyte and a balaunce; and hise werkis ben alle the stoonys of the world.
12 Evil-doing is disgusting to kings: for the seat of the ruler is based on righteousness.
Thei that don wickidli ben abhomynable to the king; for the trone of the rewme is maad stidfast bi riytfulnesse.
13 Lips of righteousness are the delight of kings; and he who says what is upright is dear to him.
The wille of kyngis is iust lippis; he that spekith riytful thingis, schal be dressid.
14 The wrath of the king is like those who give news of death, but a wise man will put peace in place of it.
Indignacioun of the kyng is messangeris of deth; and a wijs man schal plese him.
15 In the light of the king's face there is life; and his approval is like a cloud of spring rain.
Lijf is in the gladnesse of the `cheer of the king; and his merci is as a reyn comynge late.
16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! and to get knowledge is more to be desired than silver.
Welde thou wisdom, for it is betere than gold; and gete thou prudence, for it is precyousere than siluer.
17 The highway of the upright is to be turned away from evil: he who takes care of his way will keep his soul.
The path of iust men bowith awei yuelis; the kepere of his soule kepith his weie.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a stiff spirit before a fall.
Pride goith bifore sorewe; and the spirit schal be enhaunsid byfor fallyng.
19 Better it is to have a gentle spirit with the poor, than to take part in the rewards of war with men of pride.
It is betere to be maad meke with mylde men, than to departe spuylis with proude men.
20 He who gives attention to the law of right will get good; and whoever puts his faith in the Lord is happy.
A lerned man in word schal fynde goodis; and he that hopith in the Lord is blessid.
21 The wise-hearted will be named men of good sense: and by pleasing words learning is increased.
He that is wijs in herte, schal be clepid prudent; and he that is swete in speche, schal fynde grettere thingis.
22 Wisdom is a fountain of life to him who has it; but the punishment of the foolish is their foolish behaviour.
The welle of lijf is the lernyng of him that weldith; the techyng of foolis is foli.
23 The heart of the wise man is the teacher of his mouth, and gives increased learning to his lips.
The herte of a wijs man schal teche his mouth; and schal encreesse grace to hise lippis.
24 Pleasing words are like honey, sweet to the soul and new life to the bones.
Wordis wel set togidere is a coomb of hony; helthe of boonys is the swetnesse of soule.
25 There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.
A weye is that semeth riytful to a man; and the laste thingis therof leden to deth.
26 The desire of the working man is working for him, for his need of food is driving him on.
The soule of a man trauelinge trauelith to hym silf; for his mouth compellide hym.
27 A good-for-nothing man is a designer of evil, and in his lips there is a burning fire.
An vnwijs man diggith yuel; and fier brenneth in hise lippis.
28 A man of twisted purposes is a cause of fighting everywhere: and he who says evil secretly makes trouble between friends.
A weiward man reisith stryues; and a man ful of wordis departith princis.
29 A violent man puts desire of evil into his neighbour's mind, and makes him go in a way which is not good.
A wickid man flaterith his frend; and ledith hym bi a weie not good.
30 He whose eyes are shut is a man of twisted purposes, and he who keeps his lips shut tight makes evil come about.
He that thenkith schrewid thingis with iyen astonyed, bitith hise lippis, and parformeth yuel.
31 The grey head is a crown of glory, if it is seen in the way of righteousness.
A coroun of dignyte is eelde, that schal be foundun in the weies of riytfulnesse.
32 He who is slow to be angry is better than a man of war, and he who has control over his spirit than he who takes a town.
A pacient man is betere than a stronge man; and he that `is lord of his soule, is betere than an ouercomere of citees.
33 A thing may be put to the decision of chance, but it comes about through the Lord.
Lottis ben sent into the bosum; but tho ben temperid of the Lord.
