Proverbs 20
1 Wine [is] a scorner—strong drink [is] noisy, And any going astray in it is not wise.
Wiyn is a letcherouse thing and drunkenesse is ful of noise; who euere delitith in these, schal not be wijs.
2 The fear of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion, He who is causing him to be angry is wronging his soul.
As the roryng of a lioun, so and the drede of the kyng; he that territh hym to ire, synneth ayens his owne lijf.
3 Cessation from strife is an honor to a man, And every fool interferes.
It is onour to a man that departith hym silf fro stryuyngis; but fonned men ben medlid with dispisyngis.
4 The slothful does not plow because of winter, He asks in harvest, and there is nothing.
A slow man nolde ere for coold; therfor he schal begge in somer, and me schal not yyue to hym.
5 Counsel in the heart of a man [is] deep water, And a man of understanding draws it up.
As deep watir, so counsel is in the herte of a man; but a wijs man schal drawe it out.
6 A multitude of men each proclaim his kindness, And a man of steadfastness who finds?
Many men ben clepid merciful; but who schal fynde a feithful man?
7 The righteous is habitually walking in his integrity, O the blessedness of his sons after him!
Forsothe a iust man that goith in his simplenesse, schal leeue blessid sones aftir hym.
8 A king sitting on a throne of judgment, Is scattering all evil with his eyes,
A king that sittith in the seete of doom, distrieth al yuel bi his lokyng.
9 Who says, “I have purified my heart, I have been cleansed from my sin?”
Who may seie, Myn herte is clene; Y am clene of synne?
10 A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, Even both of them [are] an abomination to YHWH.
A weiyte and a weiyte, a mesure and a mesure, euer eithir is abhomynable at God.
11 Even by his actions a youth makes himself known, Whether his work is pure or upright.
A child is vndurstondun bi hise studies, yf his werkis ben riytful and cleene.
12 A hearing ear, and a seeing eye—YHWH has even made both of them.
An eere heringe, and an iye seynge, God made euere eithir.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become poor, Open your eyes—be satisfied [with] bread.
Nyle thou loue sleep, lest nedynesse oppresse thee; opene thin iyen, and be thou fillid with looues.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, And then he boasts himself going his way.
Ech biere seith, It is yuel, it is yuel; and whanne he hath go awey, thanne he schal haue glorie.
15 Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, Indeed, a precious vessel, [are] lips of knowledge.
Gold, and the multitude of iemmes, and a preciouse vessel, ben the lippis of kunnyng.
16 When a stranger has been guarantor, take his garment, And pledge it for strangers.
Take thou awei the cloth of hym, that was borewe of an othere man; and for straungeris take thou awei a wed fro hym.
17 The bread of falsehood [is] sweet to a man, And afterward his mouth is filled [with] gravel.
The breed of a leesing is sweet to a man; and aftirward his mouth schal be fillid with rikenyng.
18 You establish purposes by counsel, And with plans you make war.
Thouytis ben maad strong bi counselis; and bateils schulen be tretid bi gouernals.
19 The busybody is a revealer of secret counsels, And do not make yourself guarantor for a deceiver [with] his lips.
Be thou not medlid with him that schewith pryuetees, and goith gylefulli, and alargith hise lippis.
20 Whoever is vilifying his father and his mother, his lamp is extinguished in blackness of darkness.
The liyt of hym that cursith his fadir and modir, schal be quenchid in the myddis of derknessis.
21 An inheritance gotten wrongly at first, Even its latter end is not blessed.
Eritage to which me haastith in the bigynnyng, schal wante blessing in the laste tyme.
22 Do not say, “I repay evil,” Wait for YHWH, and He delivers you.
Seie thou not, Y schal yelde yuel for yuel; abide thou the Lord, and he schal delyuere thee.
23 A stone and a stone [are] an abomination to YHWH, And balances of deceit [are] not good.
Abhomynacioun at God is weiyte and weiyte; a gileful balaunce is not good.
24 The steps of a man [are] from YHWH, And man—how does he understand his way?
The steppis of man ben dressid of the Lord; who forsothe of men mai vndurstonde his weie?
25 A snare to a man [that] he has swallowed a holy thing, And to make inquiry after vows.
Falling of man is to make auow to seyntis, and aftirward to withdrawe the vowis.
26 A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turns the wheel back on them.
A wijs kyng scaterith wickid men; and bowith a bouwe of victorie ouer hem.
27 The breath of man [is] a lamp of YHWH, Searching all the inner parts of the heart.
The lanterne of the Lord is the spirit of man, that sekith out alle the priuetees of the wombe.
28 Kindness and truth keep a king, And he has supported his throne by kindness.
Merci and treuthe kepen a kyng; and his trone is maad strong bi mekenesse.
29 The beauty of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is grey hairs.
The ful out ioiyng of yonge men is the strengthe of hem; and the dignyte of elde men is hoornesse.
30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil, Also the scourges of the inner parts of the heart!
The wannesse of wounde schal wipe aweie yuels, and woundis in the priuyere thingis of the wombe.
