Proverbs 4
1 Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
2 For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.
Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
3 For I have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother.
For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
4 And he directs me, and he says to me: “Let your heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
7 The first thing [is] wisdom—get wisdom, And with all your getting get understanding.
The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.
8 Exalt her and she lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.
9 She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
11 I have directed you in a way of wisdom, I have caused you to tread in paths of uprightness.
Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
12 In your walking your step is not restricted, And if you run, you do not stumble.
In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] your life.
Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
14 Do not enter into the path of the wicked, And do not be blessed in a way of evildoers.
Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
15 Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
16 For they do not sleep if they do no evil, And their sleep has been taken away violently, If they do not cause [some] to stumble.
For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.
17 For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And they drink wine of violence.
Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
18 And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening until the day is established,
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 darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
20 My son, give attention to my words, Incline your ear to my sayings,
Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
21 Do not let them turn aside from your eyes, Preserve them in the midst of your heart.
Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
22 For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
23 Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
24 Turn aside a contrary mouth from you, And put perverse lips far from you,
Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
25 Your eyes look straightforward, And your eyelids look straight before you.
Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, And all your ways [are] established.
Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
27 Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
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.
