< Proverbs 1 >
1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
The parablis of Salomon, the sone of Dauid, king of Israel;
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
to kunne wisdom and kunnyng;
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to vndurstonde the wordis of prudence; and to take the lernyng of teching; to take riytfulnesse, and dom, and equyte;
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man—
that felnesse be youun to litle children, and kunnyng, and vndurstonding to a yong wexynge man.
5 that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;
A wise man heringe schal be wisere; and a man vndurstondinge schal holde gouernails.
6 to understand a proverb and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
He schal perseyue a parable, and expownyng; the wordis of wise men, and the derk figuratif spechis of hem.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
The drede of the Lord is the bigynning of wisdom; foolis dispisen wisdom and teching.
8 My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching;
My sone, here thou the teching of thi fadir, and forsake thou not the lawe of thi modir;
9 for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.
that grace be addid, ethir encreessid, to thin heed, and a bie to thi necke.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent.
Mi sone, if synneris flateren thee, assente thou not to hem.
11 If they say, “Come with us. Let’s lie in wait for blood. Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
If thei seien, Come thou with vs, sette we aspies to blood, hide we snaris of disseitis ayens an innocent without cause;
12 Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit. (Sheol )
swolowe we him, as helle swolowith a man lyuynge; and al hool, as goynge doun in to a lake; we schulen fynde al preciouse catel, (Sheol )
13 We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
we schulen fille oure housis with spuylis; sende thou lot with vs,
14 You shall cast your lot amongst us. We’ll all have one purse”—
o purs be of vs alle;
15 my son, don’t walk on the path with them. Keep your foot from their path,
my sone, go thou not with hem; forbede thi foot fro the pathis of hem.
16 for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.
For the feet of hem rennen to yuel; and thei hasten to schede out blood.
17 For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird;
But a net is leid in veyn bifore the iyen of briddis, that han wengis.
18 but these lay in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.
Also `thilke wickid disseyueris setten aspies ayens her owne blood; and maken redi fraudis ayens her soulis.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.
So the pathis of ech auerouse man rauyschen the soulis of hem that welden.
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
Wisdom prechith with outforth; in stretis it yyueth his vois.
21 She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
It crieth ofte in the heed of cumpenyes; in the leeues of yatis of the citee it bringith forth hise wordis,
22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
and seith, Hou long, ye litle men in wit, louen yong childhod, and foolis schulen coueyte tho thingis, that ben harmful to hem silf, and vnprudent men schulen hate kunnyng?
23 Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.
Be ye conuertid at my repreuyng; lo, Y schal profre forth to you my spirit, and Y schal schewe my wordis.
24 Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
For Y clepide, and ye forsoken; Y helde forth myn hond, and noon was that bihelde.
25 but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
Ye dispisiden al my councel; and chargiden not my blamyngis.
26 I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
And Y schal leiye in youre perisching; and Y schal scorne you, whanne that, that ye dreden, cometh to you.
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you.
Whanne sodeyne wretchidnesse fallith in, and perisching bifallith as tempest; whanne tribulacioun and angwisch cometh on you.
28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me,
Thanne thei schulen clepe me, and Y schal not here; thei schulen rise eerli, and thei schulen not fynde me.
29 because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of the LORD.
For thei hatiden teching, and thei token not the drede of the Lord,
30 They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
nether assentiden to my councel, and depraueden al myn amendyng.
31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
Therfor thei schulen ete the fruytis of her weie; and thei schulen be fillid with her counseils.
32 For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
The turnyng awei of litle men in wit schal sle hem; and the prosperite of foolis schal leese hem.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”
But he that herith me, schal reste with outen drede; and he schal vse abundaunce, whanne the drede of yuels is takun awei.