Proverbs 24
1 Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
2 for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
3 A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
4 Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
5 If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
6 for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
7 Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
8 Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
9 Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
10 If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
11 Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
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 My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
14 In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
`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 Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
16 Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by 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 Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
18 otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
19 Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
20 for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
21 My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
22 for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
23 These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
24 Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
25 while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
26 An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
27 Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
28 Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
29 Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
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 walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
31 It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
32 As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
33 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms 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 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.
