Proverbs 14
1 A wijs womman bildith hir hous; and an unwijs womman schal distrie with hondis an hous bildid.
Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.
2 A man goynge in riytful weie, and dredinge God, is dispisid of hym, that goith in a weie of yuel fame.
He who goes on his way in righteousness has before him the fear of the Lord; but he whose ways are twisted gives him no honour.
3 The yerde of pride is in the mouth of a fool; the lippis of wijs men kepen hem.
In the mouth of the foolish man is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will keep them safe.
4 Where oxis ben not, the cratche is void; but where ful many cornes apperen, there the strengthe of oxe is opyn.
Where there are no oxen, their food-place is clean; but much increase comes through the strength of the ox.
5 A feithful witnesse schal not lie; a gileful witnesse bringith forth a leesing.
A true witness does not say what is false, but a false witness is breathing out deceit.
6 A scornere sekith wisdom, and he fyndith not; the teching of prudent men is esy.
The hater of authority, searching for wisdom, does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man.
7 Go thou ayens a man a fool; and he schal not knowe the lippis of prudence.
Go away from the foolish man, for you will not see the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of a fel man is to vndirstonde his weie; and the vnwarnesse of foolis errith.
The wisdom of the man of good sense makes his way clear; but the unwise behaviour of the foolish is deceit.
9 A fool scorneth synne; grace schal dwelle among iust men.
In the tents of those hating authority there is error, but in the house of the upright man there is grace.
10 The herte that knowith the bittirnesse of his soule; a straunger schal not be meddlid in the ioie therof.
No one has knowledge of a man's grief but himself; and a strange person has no part in his joy.
11 The hous of wickid men schal be don awei; the tabernaclis of iust men schulen buriowne.
The house of the sinner will be overturned, but the tent of the upright man will do well.
12 Sotheli a weie is, that semeth iust to a man; but the laste thingis therof leden forth to deth.
There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.
13 Leiyyng schal be medlid with sorewe; and morenyng ocupieth the laste thingis of ioye.
Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.
14 A fool schal be fillid with hise weies; and a good man schal be aboue hym.
He whose heart is turned away will have the reward of his ways in full measure; but a good man will have the reward of his doings.
15 An innocent man bileueth to eche word; a felle man biholdith hise goyngis.
The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.
16 A wijs man dredith, and bowith awei fro yuel; a fool skippith ouer, and tristith.
The wise man, fearing, keeps himself from evil; but the foolish man goes on in his pride, with no thought of danger.
17 A man vnpacient schal worche foli; and a gileful man is odiouse.
He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet.
18 Litle men of wit schulen holde foli; and felle men schulen abide kunnyng.
Foolish behaviour is the heritage of the simple, but men of good sense are crowned with knowledge.
19 Yuel men schulen ligge bifor goode men; and vnpitouse men bifor the yatis of iust men.
The knees of the evil are bent before the good; and sinners go down in the dust at the doors of the upright.
20 A pore man schal be hateful, yhe, to his neiybore; but many men ben frendis of riche men.
The poor man is hated even by his neighbour, but the man of wealth has numbers of friends.
21 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;
He who has no respect for his neighbour is a sinner, but he who has pity for the poor is happy.
22 thei erren that worchen yuel. Merci and treuthe maken redi goodis;
Will not the designers of evil come into error? But mercy and good faith are for the designers of good.
23 abundaunce `schal be in ech good werk. Sotheli where ful many wordis ben, there nedynesse is ofte.
In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor.
24 The coroun of wise men is the richessis of hem; the fooli of foolis is vnwarnesse.
Their wisdom is a crown to the wise, but their foolish behaviour is round the head of the unwise.
25 A feithful witnesse delyuereth soulis; and a fals man bringith forth leesyngis.
A true witness is the saviour of lives; but he who says false things is a cause of deceit.
26 In the drede of the Lord is triste of strengthe; and hope schal be to the sones of it.
For him in whose heart is the fear of the Lord there is strong hope: and his children will have a safe place.
27 The drede of the Lord is a welle of lijf; that it bowe awei fro the fallyng of deth.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, by which one may be turned from the nets of death.
28 The dignite of the king is in the multitude of puple; and the schenschipe of a prince is in the fewnesse of puple.
A king's glory is in the number of his people: and for need of people a ruler may come to destruction.
29 He that is pacient, is gouerned bi myche wisdom; but he that is vnpacient, enhaunsith his foli.
He who is slow to be angry has great good sense; but he whose spirit is over-quick gives support to what is foolish.
30 Helthe of herte is the lijf of fleischis; enuye is rot of boonys.
A quiet mind is the life of the body, but envy is a disease in the bones.
31 He that falsli chalengith a nedi man, dispisith his maker; but he that hath merci on a pore man, onourith that makere.
He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.
32 A wickid man is put out for his malice; but a iust man hopith in his deth.
The sinner is overturned in his evil-doing, but the upright man has hope in his righteousness.
33 Wisdom restith in the herte of a wijs man; and he schal teche alle vnlerned men.
Wisdom has her resting-place in the mind of the wise, but she is not seen among the foolish.
34 Riytfulnesse reisith a folc; synne makith puplis wretchis.
By righteousness a nation is lifted up, but sin is a cause of shame to the peoples.
35 A mynystre vndurstondynge is acceptable to a kyng; a mynystre vnprofitable schal suffre the wrathfulnesse of him.
The king has pleasure in a servant who does wisely, but his wrath is against him who is a cause of shame.
