Proverbs 1
1 The parablis of Salomon, the sone of Dauid, king of Israel;
The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
2 to kunne wisdom and kunnyng;
To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
3 to vndurstonde the wordis of prudence; and to take the lernyng of teching; to take riytfulnesse, and dom, and equyte;
To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
4 that felnesse be youun to litle children, and kunnyng, and vndurstonding to a yong wexynge man.
To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man heringe schal be wisere; and a man vndurstondinge schal holde gouernails.
A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
6 He schal perseyue a parable, and expownyng; the wordis of wise men, and the derk figuratif spechis of hem.
To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
7 The drede of the Lord is the bigynning of wisdom; foolis dispisen wisdom and teching.
The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
8 My sone, here thou the teching of thi fadir, and forsake thou not the lawe of thi modir;
My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
9 that grace be addid, ethir encreessid, to thin heed, and a bie to thi necke.
For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
10 Mi sone, if synneris flateren thee, assente thou not to hem.
My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou not.
11 If thei seien, Come thou with vs, sette we aspies to blood, hide we snaris of disseitis ayens an innocent without cause;
If they say, Come with vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
12 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 h7585)
We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 we schulen fille oure housis with spuylis; sende thou lot with vs,
We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
14 o purs be of vs alle;
Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
15 my sone, go thou not with hem; forbede thi foot fro the pathis of hem.
My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
16 For the feet of hem rennen to yuel; and thei hasten to schede out blood.
For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
17 But a net is leid in veyn bifore the iyen of briddis, that han wengis.
Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
18 Also `thilke wickid disseyueris setten aspies ayens her owne blood; and maken redi fraudis ayens her soulis.
So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
19 So the pathis of ech auerouse man rauyschen the soulis of hem that welden.
Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom prechith with outforth; in stretis it yyueth his vois.
Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
21 It crieth ofte in the heed of cumpenyes; in the leeues of yatis of the citee it bringith forth hise wordis,
She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
22 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?
O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
23 Be ye conuertid at my repreuyng; lo, Y schal profre forth to you my spirit, and Y schal schewe my wordis.
(Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
24 For Y clepide, and ye forsoken; Y helde forth myn hond, and noon was that bihelde.
Because I haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
25 Ye dispisiden al my councel; and chargiden not my blamyngis.
But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
26 And Y schal leiye in youre perisching; and Y schal scorne you, whanne that, that ye dreden, cometh to you.
I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
27 Whanne sodeyne wretchidnesse fallith in, and perisching bifallith as tempest; whanne tribulacioun and angwisch cometh on you.
Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon you,
28 Thanne thei schulen clepe me, and Y schal not here; thei schulen rise eerli, and thei schulen not fynde me.
Then shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
29 For thei hatiden teching, and thei token not the drede of the Lord,
Because they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
30 nether assentiden to my councel, and depraueden al myn amendyng.
They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
31 Therfor thei schulen ete the fruytis of her weie; and thei schulen be fillid with her counseils.
Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
32 The turnyng awei of litle men in wit schal sle hem; and the prosperite of foolis schal leese hem.
For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
33 But he that herith me, schal reste with outen drede; and he schal vse abundaunce, whanne the drede of yuels is takun awei.
But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.
