Proverbs 22
1 A good name is to be chosen aboue great riches, and louing fauour is aboue siluer and aboue golde.
Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.
2 The rich and poore meete together: the Lord is the maker of them all.
A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.
3 A prudent man seeth the plague, and hideth himselfe: but the foolish goe on still, and are punished.
A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.
4 The rewarde of humilitie, and the feare of God is riches, and glory, and life.
The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.
5 Thornes and snares are in the way of the frowarde: but he that regardeth his soule, will depart farre from them.
Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.
6 Teache a childe in the trade of his way, and when he is olde, he shall not depart from it.
It is a prouerbe, A yong wexynge man bisidis his weie, and whanne he hath wexe elde, he schal not go awei fro it.
7 The rich ruleth the poore, and the borower is seruant to the man that lendeth.
A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.
8 He that soweth iniquitie, shall reape affliction, and the rodde of his anger shall faile.
He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.
9 He that hath a good eye, he shalbe blessed: for he giueth of his bread vnto the poore.
He that is redi to merci, schal be blessid; for of his looues he yaf to a pore man. He that yyueth yiftis, schal gete victorie and onour; forsothe he takith awei the soule of the takeris.
10 Cast out the scorner, and strife shall go out: so contention and reproche shall cease.
Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.
11 Hee that loueth purenesse of heart for the grace of his lippes, the King shalbe his friend.
He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserue knowledge: but hee ouerthroweth the wordes of the transgressour.
The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.
13 The slouthfull man saith, A lyon is without, I shall be slaine in the streete.
A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.
14 The mouth of strage women is as a deepe pit: he with whom the Lord is angry, shall fall therein.
The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.
15 Foolishnesse is bounde in the heart of a childe: but the rodde of correction shall driue it away from him.
Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.
16 Hee that oppresseth the poore to increase him selfe, and giueth vnto the riche, shall surely come to pouertie.
He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.
17 Incline thine eare, and heare the wordes of the wise, and apply thine heart vnto my knowledge.
My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.
18 For it shalbe pleasant, if thou keepe them in thy bellie, and if they be directed together in thy lippes.
That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.
19 That thy confidence may be in the Lord, I haue shewed thee this day: thou therefore take heede.
That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.
20 Haue not I written vnto thee three times in counsels and knowledge,
Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,
21 That I might shewe thee the assurance of the wordes of trueth to answere the wordes of trueth to them that sende to thee?
that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.
22 Robbe not the poore, because hee is poore, neither oppresse the afflicted in iudgement.
Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.
23 For the Lord will defende their cause, and spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them.
For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.
24 Make no friendship with an angrie man, neither goe with the furious man,
Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;
25 Least thou learne his wayes, and receiue destruction to thy soule.
lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.
26 Be not thou of them that touch the hand, nor among them that are suretie for debts.
Nyle thou be with hem that oblischen her hondis, and that proferen hem silf borewis for dettis; for if he hath not wherof he schal restore,
27 If thou hast nothing to paye, why causest thou that he should take thy bed from vnder thee?
what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?
28 Thou shalt not remooue the ancient bounds which thy fathers haue made.
Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.
29 Thou seest that a diligent man in his businesse standeth before Kings, and standeth not before the base sort.
Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.
