Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;
Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
2 for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
3 Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;
An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
4 and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.
Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
5 A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
6 For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.
He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
9 The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.
The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
10 [If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.
If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
11 Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.
Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.
If thou seist, Strengthis suffisen not; he that is biholdere of the herte, vndirstondith, and no thing disseyueth the kepere of thi soule, and he schal yelde to a man bi hise werkis.
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:
Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
14 so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
`So and the techyng of wisdom is good to thi soule; and whanne thou hast founde it, thou schalt haue hope in the laste thingis, and thin hope schal not perische.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.
Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
16 For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.
For a iust man schal falle seuene sithis in the dai, and schal rise ayen; but wickid men schulen falle in to yuele.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
18 lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.
lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:
Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
20 for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
21 My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.
My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
23 These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
25 but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.
Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
26 He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.
He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
27 Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.
Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?
Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.
Seie thou not, As he dide to me, so Y schal do to him, and Y schal yelde to ech man aftir his werk.
30 I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
31 and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.
nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
32 Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:
And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
33 — A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
Hou longe slepist thou, slow man? whanne schalt thou ryse fro sleep? Sotheli thou schalt slepe a litil, thou schalt nappe a litil, thou schalt ioyne togidere the hondis a litil, to take reste;
34 So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.
