Proverbs 24
1 Be not thou envious of wicked men, neither crave to be with them;
Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
2 For, violence, their heart muttereth, and, mischief, their lips do speak.
For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
3 In wisdom, is a house builded, and, in understanding, is it established;
An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
4 And, in knowledge, chambers are filled, with all acquisitions, costly and fair.
Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
5 A wise man, is mighty, and, a man of knowledge, becometh alert in vigour.
A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
6 Surely, with concerted measures, shalt thou make for thyself war, and, success, lieth in the greatness of the counsellor.
For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
7 Unattainable to a foolish man, are the dictates of wisdom, in the gate, he openeth not his mouth.
Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
8 He that deviseth to do mischief, him, shall men call, a master of plots.
He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
9 The purpose of folly, is sin, and, an abomination to mankind, is a buffoon.
The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
10 Thou hast been slothful in the day of straitness, Strait, is thy strength.
If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
11 Deliver thou such as are being led forth to death, and, them who are tottering to slaughter, oh that thou wouldst hold back!
Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
12 Though thou say, Lo! we knew not this, Shall not, he that proveth hearts, himself, discern? And, he that formeth thy soul, himself, know? and bring back to a son of earth according to his deed?
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 thou honey, because it is good, —and droppings from the comb [because they are] sweet to thy palate:
Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
14 Thus, take knowledge of wisdom, for thine own soul; If thou find it, then there is a future, and, thine expectation, shall not be 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 lie in wait, thou lawless man, against the home of the righteous, —neither destroy thou his place of rest;
Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
16 For, seven times, may the righteous fall and yet arise, but, lawless men, shall stumble into calamity.
For a iust man schal falle seuene sithis in the dai, and schal rise ayen; but wickid men schulen falle in to yuele.
17 When thine enemy falleth, do not thou rejoice, and, when he stumbleth, let not thy heart exult:
Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
18 Lest Yahweh see it, and it be wicked in his eyes, and he turn away from him his anger.
lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
19 Burn not with vexation against evil doers, be not envious of lawless men;
Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
20 For there shall be no future for the wicked, The lamp of the lawless, shall go out.
For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
21 Revere thou Yahweh, my son, and the king, and, with the fickle, have thou no fellowship;
My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
22 For, suddenly, shall arise their calamity; and, the misfortune of their years, who knoweth?
For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
23 These things also, concern the wise, To take note of faces in judgment, is not good.
Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
24 He that saith to the lawless man, Righteous, thou art, peoples shall denounce him, populations shall curse him;
Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
25 But, to reprovers, one should be pleasant, and, upon them, should come an excellent blessing:
Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
26 Lips, should one kiss with one who answereth in right words.
He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
27 Prepare, in the open, thy work, and make ready, in the field, for thyself, Afterwards, shalt thou build thy house.
Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
28 Do not become a needless witness against thy neighbour, so mightest thou open too wide thy 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—According to what he hath done to me, so, will I do to him, I will repay every one 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 By the field of the sluggard, I passed, and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense;
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
31 And lo! there had come up all over it—thorns, there had covered the face thereof—thistles, and, the stone fence thereof, had been thrown down.
nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
32 So I observed it, for myself, I applied my heart, I looked—I accepted correction:
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 rest:
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 So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.
