Proverbs 8
1 Thou shalt proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to thee.
Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
2 For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways.
In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
3 For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, [saying],
and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
4 You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men.
ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men.
5 O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge.
Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
6 Hearken to me; for I will speak solemn [truths]; and will produce right [sayings] from my lips.
Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
7 For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me.
My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse.
My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
9 They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge.
`My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
10 Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than tried gold.
Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
11 For wisdom is better than precious stones; and no valuable substance is of equal worth with it.
For wisdom is betere than alle richessis moost preciouse; and al desirable thing mai not be comparisound therto.
12 I wisdom have dwelt [with] counsel and knowledge, and I have called upon understanding.
Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
13 The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men.
The drede of the Lord hatith yuel; Y curse boost, and pride, and a schrewid weie, and a double tungid mouth.
14 Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine.
Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
16 By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth.
Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
17 I love those that love me; and they that seek me shall find [me].
I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
18 Wealth and glory belong to me; yea, abundant possessions and righteousness.
With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
19 [It is] better to have my fruit than [to have] gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver.
My fruyt is betere than gold, and precyouse stoon; and my seedis ben betere than chosun siluer.
20 I walk in ways of righteousness, and [am] conversant with the paths of judgment;
Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
21 that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things. If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember [also] to recount the things of old.
that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
22 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works.
The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
23 He established me before time [was] in the beginning, before he made the earth:
Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
24 even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth:
Depthis of watris weren not yit; and Y was conseyued thanne. The wellis of watris hadden not brokun out yit,
25 before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me.
and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
26 The Lord made countries and uninhabited [tracks], and the highest inhabited parts of the world.
Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
27 When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him; and when he prepared his throne upon the winds:
Whanne he made redi heuenes, Y was present; whanne he cumpasside the depthis of watris bi certeyn lawe and cumpas.
28 and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth:
Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
29 decree. and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth:
Whanne he cumpasside to the see his marke; and settide lawe to watris, that tho schulden not passe her coostis. Whanne he peiside the foundementis of erthe;
30 I was by him, suiting [myself to him], I was that wherein he took delight; and daily I rejoiced in his presence continually.
Y was making alle thingis with him. And Y delitide bi alle daies, and pleiede bifore hym in al tyme,
31 For he rejoiced when he had completed the world, and rejoiced among the children of men.
and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
32 Now then, [my] son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways;
Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
33 [Hear wisdom and be wise, and ] [be not strangers to it. ]
Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
34 watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances.
Blessid is the man that herith me, and that wakith at my yatis al dai; and kepith at the postis of my dore.
35 For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and [in them] is prepared favour from the Lord.
He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
36 But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.
But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.
