Proverbs 3
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Mi sone, foryete thou not my lawe; and thyn herte kepe my comaundementis.
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
For tho schulen sette to thee the lengthe of daies, and the yeeris of lijf, and pees.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
And thou schalt fynde grace, and good teching bifore God and men.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Haue thou trist in the Lord, of al thin herte; and triste thou not to thi prudence.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
In alle thi weies thenke thou on hym, and he schal dresse thi goyngis.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Be thou not wijs anentis thi silf; drede thou God, and go awei fro yuel.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
For whi helthe schal be in thi nawle, and moisting of thi boonys.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Onoure thou the Lord of thi catel, and of the beste of alle thi fruytis yyue thou to pore men;
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
and thi bernes schulen be fillid with abundaunce, and pressours schulen flowe with wiyn.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
My sone, caste thou not awei the teching of the Lord; and faile thou not, whanne thou art chastisid of him.
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son [in whom] he delighteth.
For the Lord chastisith hym, whom he loueth; and as a fadir in the sone he plesith hym.
13 Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding.
Blessid is the man that fyndith wisdom, and which flowith with prudence.
14 For the merchandise of it [is] better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
The geting therof is betere than the marchaundie of gold and of siluer; the fruytis therof ben the firste and clenneste.
15 She [is] more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
It is preciousere than alle richessis; and alle thingis that ben desirid, moun not be comparisound to this.
16 Length of days [is] in her right hand; [and] in her left hand riches and honour.
Lengthe of daies is in the riythalf therof, and richessis and glorie ben in the lifthalf therof.
17 Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, and all her paths [are] peace.
The weies therof ben feire weies, and alle the pathis therof ben pesible.
18 She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.
It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.
19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
The Lord foundide the erthe bi wisdom; he stablischide heuenes bi prudence.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
The depthis of watris braken out bi his wisdom; and cloudis wexen togidere bi dewe.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
My sone, these thingis flete not awey fro thin iyen; kepe thou my lawe, and my counsel;
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
and lijf schal be to thi soule, and grace `schal be to thi chekis.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
Thanne thou schalt go tristili in thi weie; and thi foot schal not snapere.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
If thou schalt slepe, thou schalt not drede; thou schalt reste, and thi sleep schal be soft.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Drede thou not bi sudeyne feer, and the powers of wickid men fallynge in on thee.
26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
For the Lord schal be at thi side; and he schal kepe thi foot, that thou be not takun.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it].
Nil thou forbede to do wel him that mai; if thou maist, and do thou wel.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Ymagyne thou not yuel to thi freend, whanne he hath trist in thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Stryue thou not ayens a man with out cause, whanne he doith noon yuel to thee.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Sue thou not an vniust man, sue thou not hise weies.
32 For the froward [is] abomination to the LORD: but his secret [is] with the righteous.
For ech disseyuer is abhomynacioun of the Lord; and his speking is with simple men.
33 The curse of the LORD [is] in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Nedinesse is sent of the Lord in the hous of a wickid man; but the dwelling places of iust men schulen be blessid.
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
He schal scorne scorneris; and he schal yyue grace to mylde men.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Wise men schulen haue glorie; enhaunsing of foolis is schenschipe.
