Proverbs 16
1 It is the part of man to prepare the soul: and of the Lord to govern the tongue.
It perteyneth to man to make redi the soule; and it perteyneth to the Lord to gouerne the tunge.
2 All the ways of a man are open to his eyes: the Lord is the weigher of spirits.
Alle the weies of men ben opyn to the iyen of God; the Lord is a weiere of spiritis.
3 Lay open thy works to the Lord: and thy thoughts shall be directed.
Schewe thi werkys to the Lord; and thi thouytis schulen be dressid.
4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: the wicked also for the evil day.
The Lord wrouyte alle thingis for hym silf; and he made redi a wickid man to the yuel dai.
5 Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord: though hand should be joined to hand, he is not innocent. The beginning of a good way is to do justice; and this is more acceptable with God, than to offer sacrifices.
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 truth iniquity is redeemed: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Wickidnesse is ayen bouyt bi merci and treuthe; and me bowith awei fro yuel bi the drede of the Lord.
7 When the ways of man shall please the Lord, he will convert even his enemies to peace.
Whanne the weyes of man plesen the Lord, he schal conuerte, yhe, hise enemyes to pees.
8 Better is a little with justice, than great revenues with iniquity.
Betere is a litil with riytfulnesse, than many fruytis with wickidnesse.
9 The heart of man disposeth his way: but the Lord must direct his steps.
The herte of a man schal dispose his weie; but it perteyneth to the Lord to dresse hise steppis.
10 Divination is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgment.
Dyuynyng is in the lippis of a king; his mouth schal not erre in doom.
11 Weight and balance are judgments of the Lord: and his work all the weights of the bag.
The domes of the Lord ben weiyte and a balaunce; and hise werkis ben alle the stoonys of the world.
12 They that act wickedly are abominable to the king: for the throne is established by justice.
Thei that don wickidli ben abhomynable to the king; for the trone of the rewme is maad stidfast bi riytfulnesse.
13 Just lips are the delight of kings: he that speaketh right things shall be loved.
The wille of kyngis is iust lippis; he that spekith riytful thingis, schal be dressid.
14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: and the wise man will pacify it.
Indignacioun of the kyng is messangeris of deth; and a wijs man schal plese him.
15 In the cheerfulness of the king’s countenance is life: and his clemency is like the latter rain.
Lijf is in the gladnesse of the `cheer of the king; and his merci is as a reyn comynge late.
16 Get wisdom, because it is better than gold: and purchase prudence, for it is more precious than silver.
Welde thou wisdom, for it is betere than gold; and gete thou prudence, for it is precyousere than siluer.
17 The path of the just departeth from evils: he that keepeth his soul keepeth his way.
The path of iust men bowith awei yuelis; the kepere of his soule kepith his weie.
18 Pride goeth before destruction: and the spirit is lifted up before a fall.
Pride goith bifore sorewe; and the spirit schal be enhaunsid byfor fallyng.
19 It is better to be humbled with the meek, than to divide spoils with the proud.
It is betere to be maad meke with mylde men, than to departe spuylis with proude men.
20 The learned in word shall find good things: and he that trusteth in the Lord is blessed.
A lerned man in word schal fynde goodis; and he that hopith in the Lord is blessid.
21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and he that is sweet in words shall attain to greater things.
He that is wijs in herte, schal be clepid prudent; and he that is swete in speche, schal fynde grettere thingis.
22 Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it: the instruction of fools is foolishness.
The welle of lijf is the lernyng of him that weldith; the techyng of foolis is foli.
23 The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth: and shall add grace to his lips.
The herte of a wijs man schal teche his mouth; and schal encreesse grace to hise lippis.
24 Well ordered words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul, and health 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 that seemeth to a man right: and the ends thereof lead to death.
A weye is that semeth riytful to a man; and the laste thingis therof leden to deth.
26 The soul of him that laboureth, laboureth for himself, because his mouth hath obliged him to it.
The soule of a man trauelinge trauelith to hym silf; for his mouth compellide hym.
27 The wicked man diggeth evil, and in his lips is a burning fire.
An vnwijs man diggith yuel; and fier brenneth in hise lippis.
28 A perverse man stirreth up quarrels: and one full of words separateth princes.
A weiward man reisith stryues; and a man ful of wordis departith princis.
29 An unjust man allureth his friend: and leadeth him into a way that is not good.
A wickid man flaterith his frend; and ledith hym bi a weie not good.
30 He that with fixed eyes deviseth wicked things, biting his lips, bringeth: evil to pass.
He that thenkith schrewid thingis with iyen astonyed, bitith hise lippis, and parformeth yuel.
31 Old age is a crown of dignity, when it is found in the ways of justice.
A coroun of dignyte is eelde, that schal be foundun in the weies of riytfulnesse.
32 The patient man is better than the valiant: and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh cities.
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 Lots are cast into the lap, but they are disposed of by the Lord.
Lottis ben sent into the bosum; but tho ben temperid of the Lord.
