Proverbs 2
1 My son, if you accept what I say and value my instructions,
Mi sone, if thou resseyuest my wordis, `and hidist myn heestis anentis thee;
2 if you pay attention to wisdom and really try to understand;
that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence.
3 if you cry out for insight and call loudly for help in understanding;
For if thou inwardli clepist wisdom, and bowist thin herte to prudence;
4 if you look for it as if it were silver and search for it as if it were hidden treasure;
if thou sekist it as money, and diggist it out as tresours;
5 then you will understand how to relate to the Lord and discover the truth about God.
thanne thou schalt vndirstonde the drede of the Lord, and schalt fynde the kunnyng of God.
6 The Lord is the source of wisdom; what he says provides knowledge that makes sense.
For the Lord yyueth wisdom; and prudence and kunnyng is of his mouth.
7 He gives good judgment to those who live right; he defends those who have good sense.
He schal kepe the heelthe of riytful men, and he schal defende hem that goen sympli.
8 He supports those who act fairly and protects those who trust in him.
And he schal kepe the pathis of riytfulnesse, and he schal kepe the weies of hooli men.
9 Then you will be able to recognize what is right and just and fair, in fact all that is good in the way you should live.
Thanne thou schalt vndirstonde riytfulnesse, and dom, and equytee, and ech good path.
10 For wisdom will fill your mind, and knowledge will make you happy.
If wysdom entrith in to thin herte, and kunnyng plesith thi soule,
11 Good decisions will keep you on track; thinking logically will keep you safe.
good councel schal kepe thee, and prudence schal kepe thee; that thou be delyuered fro an yuel weie,
12 Doing this will save you from the ways of evil, from men who tell twisted lies,
and fro a man that spekith weiward thingis.
13 who turn away from following what is right to walk down paths of darkness.
Whiche forsaken a riytful weie, and goen bi derk weies;
14 They happily do wrong; they love how twisted evil is.
whiche ben glad, whanne thei han do yuel, and maken ful out ioye in worste thingis;
15 They live crooked lives doing deceitful things.
whose weies ben weywerd, and her goyingis ben of yuel fame.
16 Doing this will also save you from a woman who acts immorally, from a woman who like a prostitute tries to seduce you with flattering words.
That thou be delyuered fro an alien womman, and fro a straunge womman, that makith soft hir wordis;
17 Such a woman has left her husband she married when she was young, forgetting the promises she made before God.
and forsakith the duyk of hir tyme of mariage,
18 What happens in her house leads to death; following her way leads to the grave.
and hath foryete the couenaunt of hir God. For the hous of hir is bowid to deeth, and hir pathis to helle.
19 No one who goes to her comes back; they don't ever find the way back to life again.
Alle that entren to hir, schulen not turne ayen, nether schulen catche the pathis of lijf.
20 So you should follow the way of the good, and make sure you stay on the paths of those who do right.
That thou go in a good weie, and kepe the pathis of iust men.
21 For only people who live right will live in the land; only honest people will remain there.
Forsothe thei that ben riytful, schulen dwelle in the lond; and symple men schulen perfitli dwelle ther ynne.
22 But the wicked will be thrown out of the land; those who are untrustworthy will be pulled out by the roots.
But vnfeithful men schulen be lost fro the loond; and thei that doen wickidli, schulen be takun awey fro it.
