Proverbs 4
1 Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
2 For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
3 For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
4 When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
5 Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
7 Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.
8 Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.
9 She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.
17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.
19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
22 For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
25 Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
27 Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
Bowe thou not to the riytside, nether to the leftside; turne awei thi foot fro yuel. For the Lord knowith the weies that ben at the riytside; but the weies ben weiward, that ben at the leftside. Forsothe he schal make thi goyngis riytful; and thi weies schulen be brouyt forth in pees.
