< Proverbs 24 >
1 Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
2 For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
3 A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
4 And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
5 The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
6 For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
7 Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
8 Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
9 The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
10 You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
11 If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
12 When you say, “Behold, we did not know this.” Is the Ponderer of hearts not He who understands? And the Keeper of your soul He who knows? And He has rendered to man according to his work.
If thou seist, Strengthis suffisen not; he that is biholdere of the herte, vndirstondith, and no thing disseyueth the kepere of thi soule, and he schal yelde to a man bi hise werkis.
13 My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
14 So [is] the knowledge of wisdom to your soul, If you have found that there is a posterity And your hope is not cut off.
`So and the techyng of wisdom is good to thi soule; and whanne thou hast founde it, thou schalt haue hope in the laste thingis, and thin hope schal not perische.
15 Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
16 For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
For a iust man schal falle seuene sithis in the dai, and schal rise ayen; but wickid men schulen falle in to yuele.
17 Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
18 Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
19 Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
21 Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
22 For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
23 These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
24 Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
25 And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
26 He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
27 Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your lips.
Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
29 Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
Seie thou not, As he dide to me, so Y schal do to him, and Y schal yelde to ech man aftir his werk.
30 I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
31 And behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
32 And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have received instruction,
And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
33 A little sleep—a little slumber—A little folding of the hands to lie down.
Hou longe slepist thou, slow man? whanne schalt thou ryse fro sleep? Sotheli thou schalt slepe a litil, thou schalt nappe a litil, thou schalt ioyne togidere the hondis a litil, to take reste;
34 And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.