Proverbs 14
1 Wise women [PRS] hold their families together [by the wise things that they do], but foolish women ruin their families by the foolish things that they do.
A wijs womman bildith hir hous; and an unwijs womman schal distrie with hondis an hous bildid.
2 By [continually] behaving/acting righteously, [people show that they] greatly revere Yahweh; those who (walk on crooked paths/always deceive others) [show that they] despise him.
A man goynge in riytful weie, and dredinge God, is dispisid of hym, that goith in a weie of yuel fame.
3 Foolish people will be punished [MTY] for what they say, but wise [people] will be protected by what they say [MTY].
The yerde of pride is in the mouth of a fool; the lippis of wijs men kepen hem.
4 If [a man has] no oxen [to plow his field], he does not [need to put] grain [in their feedbox], but if [he has] oxen, they will enable [him to produce] an abundant crop.
Where oxis ben not, the cratche is void; but where ful many cornes apperen, there the strengthe of oxe is opyn.
5 Witnesses who are reliable [always] say what (is true/really happened), but witnesses who are not reliable constantly tell lies [about what happened].
A feithful witnesse schal not lie; a gileful witnesse bringith forth a leesing.
6 Those who make fun [of being wise] will never become wise, but those who understand [what is right] learn things easily.
A scornere sekith wisdom, and he fyndith not; the teching of prudent men is esy.
7 Stay away from foolish people, because they will not be able to teach you anything [useful].
Go thou ayens a man a fool; and he schal not knowe the lippis of prudence.
8 Those who have good sense are wise, so they know what they should do [and what they should not do]; foolish people do not know what is right to do, but because they think that they do, they are deceiving themselves.
The wisdom of a fel man is to vndirstonde his weie; and the vnwarnesse of foolis errith.
9 Foolish people make fun of their committing sins; but God is pleased with those who do what is right.
A fool scorneth synne; grace schal dwelle among iust men.
10 If you are very sad or if you are joyful, only you know what you are experiencing; no one else [can] know what you are feeling.
The herte that knowith the bittirnesse of his soule; a straunger schal not be meddlid in the ioie therof.
11 Houses built by wicked [people] will be destroyed, but houses built by good/righteous [people] will last for a long time.
The hous of wickid men schal be don awei; the tabernaclis of iust men schulen buriowne.
12 There are some kinds of behavior [MET] that [some] people [falsely] think are right, but (walking on those roads/continually doing those things) causes [those people] to die.
Sotheli a weie is, that semeth iust to a man; but the laste thingis therof leden forth to deth.
13 [Sometimes] when people laugh, they are [really] sad, and when they stop laughing, they are still sad.
Leiyyng schal be medlid with sorewe; and morenyng ocupieth the laste thingis of ioye.
14 Those who stubbornly continue to do what is wrong will get what they deserve, and those who continually do what is good will [also] get what they deserve.
A fool schal be fillid with hise weies; and a good man schal be aboue hym.
15 Foolish people believe everything [that people tell them]; those who have good sense think carefully about what will be the result of their actions.
An innocent man bileueth to eche word; a felle man biholdith hise goyngis.
16 Wise people are careful and avoid [doing things that will give them] trouble; foolish people are careless and act (too quickly/without thinking).
A wijs man dredith, and bowith awei fro yuel; a fool skippith ouer, and tristith.
17 Those who quickly become angry [IDM] do foolish things; [people] hate those who plan to do wicked things (OR, those who have good sense remain calm/patient).
A man vnpacient schal worche foli; and a gileful man is odiouse.
18 Foolish people get what they deserve for doing foolish things; those with good sense are rewarded [MET] by being able to learn a lot.
Litle men of wit schulen holde foli; and felle men schulen abide kunnyng.
19 [Some day] evil [people] will bow down in front of righteous [people to show that they respect them]; they [will humbly stand] at the gates of [the houses of] righteous [people and request their help].
Yuel men schulen ligge bifor goode men; and vnpitouse men bifor the yatis of iust men.
20 [No one likes] poor [people]; even their friends/neighbors do not like them; rich [people] have many friends, but [only while the rich people still have money].
A pore man schal be hateful, yhe, to his neiybore; but many men ben frendis of riche men.
21 It is sinful to despise your [poor] neighbors; [God] is pleased with those who do kind things for the poor.
He that dispisith his neiybore, doith synne; but he that doith merci to a pore man, schal be blessid. He that bileueth in the Lord, loueth merci;
22 Those who plan to do things that are evil/wrong are walking on the wrong road; people faithfully love, respect and are loyal to those who plan to do what is good.
thei erren that worchen yuel. Merci and treuthe maken redi goodis;
23 If you work hard, you will (accomplish something good/get a good income), but if all you do is to talk [and not work], you will remain poor.
abundaunce `schal be in ech good werk. Sotheli where ful many wordis ben, there nedynesse is ofte.
24 One of the rewards [MET] of being wise is to become rich; the reward of acting foolishly is to become more foolish.
The coroun of wise men is the richessis of hem; the fooli of foolis is vnwarnesse.
25 By saying [in court] what is true, you [can] save the life [of the one who is being falsely accused]; if you tell lies, you are abandoning someone who needs your help [to defend him].
A feithful witnesse delyuereth soulis; and a fals man bringith forth leesyngis.
26 Those who revere Yahweh are confident [that he will protect them], and their family will [also] be protected.
In the drede of the Lord is triste of strengthe; and hope schal be to the sones of it.
27 Having an awesome respect for Yahweh is [like] [MET] [having] a fountain that gives life; it will help you to escape when something dangerous is threatening to kill you [MET].
The drede of the Lord is a welle of lijf; that it bowe awei fro the fallyng of deth.
28 If a king rules over many people, many people will [be able to] honor him; if he has only a few people in his kingdom, he will have very little [HYP] power.
The dignite of the king is in the multitude of puple; and the schenschipe of a prince is in the fewnesse of puple.
29 Those who do not quickly become angry are very wise; by quickly becoming angry, people show that they are foolish.
He that is pacient, is gouerned bi myche wisdom; but he that is vnpacient, enhaunsith his foli.
30 Having a mind that is peaceful results in having a healthy body; having a mind that is [often] in turmoil is [like] [MET] cancer in [a person’s] bones.
Helthe of herte is the lijf of fleischis; enuye is rot of boonys.
31 Those who oppress poor people are insulting God, the one who made those poor people, but acting kindly toward them is respecting God.
He that falsli chalengith a nedi man, dispisith his maker; but he that hath merci on a pore man, onourith that makere.
32 Wicked [people] ruin themselves by the evil things that they do, but righteous/good [people] are kept safe/protected even when they die (OR, because of their continually doing what is right).
A wickid man is put out for his malice; but a iust man hopith in his deth.
33 Those who have good sense always think what is wise; foolish people do not know anything about being wise.
Wisdom restith in the herte of a wijs man; and he schal teche alle vnlerned men.
34 [When] the people of a nation [continually act] righteously, it causes that nation to be great; [continually doing what is] evil causes a nation to be disgraced.
Riytfulnesse reisith a folc; synne makith puplis wretchis.
35 Kings are pleased with officials who do their work competently/skillfully, but they punish [MTY] those who [do their work in a manner that] causes the kings to be disgraced.
A mynystre vndurstondynge is acceptable to a kyng; a mynystre vnprofitable schal suffre the wrathfulnesse of him.
