Proverbs 2
1 My sonne, if thou wilt receiue my wordes, and hide my commandements within thee,
Mi sone, if thou resseyuest my wordis, `and hidist myn heestis anentis thee;
2 And cause thine eares to hearken vnto wisdome, and encline thine heart to vnderstanding,
that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence.
3 (For if thou callest after knowledge, and cryest for vnderstanding:
For if thou inwardli clepist wisdom, and bowist thin herte to prudence;
4 If thou seekest her as siluer, and searchest for her as for treasures,
if thou sekist it as money, and diggist it out as tresours;
5 Then shalt thou vnderstand the feare of the Lord, and finde the knowledge of God.
thanne thou schalt vndirstonde the drede of the Lord, and schalt fynde the kunnyng of God.
6 For the Lord giueth wisdome, out of his mouth commeth knowledge and vnderstanding.
For the Lord yyueth wisdom; and prudence and kunnyng is of his mouth.
7 He preserueth the state of the righteous: he is a shielde to them that walke vprightly,
He schal kepe the heelthe of riytful men, and he schal defende hem that goen sympli.
8 That they may keepe the wayes of iudgement: and he preserueth the way of his Saintes)
And he schal kepe the pathis of riytfulnesse, and he schal kepe the weies of hooli men.
9 Then shalt thou vnderstand righteousnes, and iudgement, and equitie, and euery good path.
Thanne thou schalt vndirstonde riytfulnesse, and dom, and equytee, and ech good path.
10 When wisdome entreth into thine heart, and knowledge deliteth thy soule,
If wysdom entrith in to thin herte, and kunnyng plesith thi soule,
11 Then shall counsell preserue thee, and vnderstanding shall keepe thee,
good councel schal kepe thee, and prudence schal kepe thee; that thou be delyuered fro an yuel weie,
12 And deliuer thee from the euill way, and from the man that speaketh froward things,
and fro a man that spekith weiward thingis.
13 And from them that leaue the wayes of righteousnes to walke in the wayes of darkenes:
Whiche forsaken a riytful weie, and goen bi derk weies;
14 Which reioyce in doing euill, and delite in the frowardnesse of the wicked,
whiche ben glad, whanne thei han do yuel, and maken ful out ioye in worste thingis;
15 Whose wayes are crooked and they are lewde in their paths.
whose weies ben weywerd, and her goyingis ben of yuel fame.
16 And it shall deliuer thee from the strange woman, euen from the stranger, which flattereth with her wordes.
That thou be delyuered fro an alien womman, and fro a straunge womman, that makith soft hir wordis;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the couenant of her God.
and forsakith the duyk of hir tyme of mariage,
18 Surely her house tendeth to death, and her paths vnto the dead.
and hath foryete the couenaunt of hir God. For the hous of hir is bowid to deeth, and hir pathis to helle.
19 All they that goe vnto her, returne not againe, neither take they holde of the wayes of life.
Alle that entren to hir, schulen not turne ayen, nether schulen catche the pathis of lijf.
20 Therefore walke thou in the way of good men, and keepe the wayes of the righteous.
That thou go in a good weie, and kepe the pathis of iust men.
21 For the iust shall dwell in the land, and the vpright men shall remaine in it.
Forsothe thei that ben riytful, schulen dwelle in the lond; and symple men schulen perfitli dwelle ther ynne.
22 But the wicked shalbe cut off from ye earth, and the transgressours shalbe rooted out of it.
But vnfeithful men schulen be lost fro the loond; and thei that doen wickidli, schulen be takun awey fro it.
