Proverbs 3
1 [My] son, forget not my laws; but let your heart keep my words:
Mi sone, foryete thou not my lawe; and thyn herte kepe my comaundementis.
2 for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to you.
For tho schulen sette to thee the lengthe of daies, and the yeeris of lijf, and pees.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; but bind them about your neck:
Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
4 so shall you find favour: and do you provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men.
And thou schalt fynde grace, and good teching bifore God and men.
5 Trust in God with all your heart; and be not exalted in your own wisdom.
Haue thou trist in the Lord, of al thin herte; and triste thou not to thi prudence.
6 In all your ways acquaint yourself with her, that she may rightly direct your paths.
In alle thi weies thenke thou on hym, and he schal dresse thi goyngis.
7 Be not wise in your own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil.
Be thou not wijs anentis thi silf; drede thou God, and go awei fro yuel.
8 Then shall there be health to your body, and good keeping to your bones.
For whi helthe schal be in thi nawle, and moisting of thi boonys.
9 Honour the Lord with your just labours, and give him the first of your fruits of righteousness:
Onoure thou the Lord of thi catel, and of the beste of alle thi fruytis yyue thou to pore men;
10 that your storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that your presses may burst forth with wine.
and thi bernes schulen be fillid with abundaunce, and pressours schulen flowe with wiyn.
11 [My] son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when you are rebuked of him:
My sone, caste thou not awei the teching of the Lord; and faile thou not, whanne thou art chastisid of him.
12 for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives.
For the Lord chastisith hym, whom he loueth; and as a fadir in the sone he plesith hym.
13 Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence.
Blessid is the man that fyndith wisdom, and which flowith with prudence.
14 For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver.
The geting therof is betere than the marchaundie of gold and of siluer; the fruytis therof ben the firste and clenneste.
15 And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value.
It is preciousere than alle richessis; and alle thingis that ben desirid, moun not be comparisound to this.
16 For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue.
Lengthe of daies is in the riythalf therof, and richessis and glorie ben in the lifthalf therof.
17 Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful.
The weies therof ben feire weies, and alle the pathis therof ben pesible.
18 She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is [a] secure [help] to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.
It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.
19 God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens.
The Lord foundide the erthe bi wisdom; he stablischide heuenes bi prudence.
20 By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water.
The depthis of watris braken out bi his wisdom; and cloudis wexen togidere bi dewe.
21 [My] son, let [them] not pass from [you], but keep my counsel and understanding:
My sone, these thingis flete not awey fro thin iyen; kepe thou my lawe, and my counsel;
22 that your soul may live, and that there may be grace round your neck; and it shall be health to your flesh, and safety to your bones:
and lijf schal be to thi soule, and grace `schal be to thi chekis.
23 that you may go confidently in peace in all your ways, and that your foot may not stumble.
Thanne thou schalt go tristili in thi weie; and thi foot schal not snapere.
24 For if you rest, you shall be undismayed; and if you sleep, you shall slumber sweetly.
If thou schalt slepe, thou schalt not drede; thou schalt reste, and thi sleep schal be soft.
25 And you shall not be afraid of alarm coming upon you, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men.
Drede thou not bi sudeyne feer, and the powers of wickid men fallynge in on thee.
26 For the Lord shall be over all your ways, and shall establish your foot that you be not moved.
For the Lord schal be at thi side; and he schal kepe thi foot, that thou be not takun.
27 Forbear not to do good to the poor, whenever your hand may have [power] to help [him].
Nil thou forbede to do wel him that mai; if thou maist, and do thou wel.
28 Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while you are able to do [him] good: for you know not what the next day will bring forth.
Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.
29 Devise not evil against your friend, living near you and trusting in you.
Ymagyne thou not yuel to thi freend, whanne he hath trist in thee.
30 Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do you some harm.
Stryue thou not ayens a man with out cause, whanne he doith noon yuel to thee.
31 Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do you covet their ways.
Sue thou not an vniust man, sue thou not hise weies.
32 For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit amongst the righteous.
For ech disseyuer is abhomynacioun of the Lord; and his speking is with simple men.
33 The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed.
Nedinesse is sent of the Lord in the hous of a wickid man; but the dwelling places of iust men schulen be blessid.
34 The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble.
He schal scorne scorneris; and he schal yyue grace to mylde men.
35 The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted [their own] dishonour.
Wise men schulen haue glorie; enhaunsing of foolis is schenschipe.
