Proverbs 14
1 A wijs womman bildith hir hous; and an unwijs womman schal distrie with hondis an hous bildid.
Every wise woman hath builded her house, And the foolish with her hands breaketh it down.
2 A man goynge in riytful weie, and dredinge God, is dispisid of hym, that goith in a weie of yuel fame.
Whoso is walking in his uprightness is fearing Jehovah, And the perverted [in] his ways is despising Him.
3 The yerde of pride is in the mouth of a fool; the lippis of wijs men kepen hem.
In the mouth of a fool [is] a rod of pride, And the lips of the wise preserve them.
4 Where oxis ben not, the cratche is void; but where ful many cornes apperen, there the strengthe of oxe is opyn.
Without oxen a stall [is] clean, And great [is] the increase by the power of the ox.
5 A feithful witnesse schal not lie; a gileful witnesse bringith forth a leesing.
A faithful witness lieth not, And a false witness breatheth out lies.
6 A scornere sekith wisdom, and he fyndith not; the teching of prudent men is esy.
A scorner hath sought wisdom, and it is not, And knowledge to the intelligent [is] easy.
7 Go thou ayens a man a fool; and he schal not knowe the lippis of prudence.
Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known 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 prudent [is] to understand his way, And the folly of fools [is] deceit.
9 A fool scorneth synne; grace schal dwelle among iust men.
Fools mock at a guilt-offering, And among the upright — a pleasing thing.
10 The herte that knowith the bittirnesse of his soule; a straunger schal not be meddlid in the ioie therof.
The heart knoweth its own bitterness, And with its joy a stranger doth not intermeddle.
11 The hous of wickid men schal be don awei; the tabernaclis of iust men schulen buriowne.
The house of the wicked is destroyed, And the tent of the upright flourisheth.
12 Sotheli a weie is, that semeth iust to a man; but the laste thingis therof leden forth to deth.
There is a way — right before a man, And its latter end [are] ways of death.
13 Leiyyng schal be medlid with sorewe; and morenyng ocupieth the laste thingis of ioye.
Even in laughter is the heart pained, And the latter end of joy [is] affliction.
14 A fool schal be fillid with hise weies; and a good man schal be aboue hym.
From his ways is the backslider in heart filled, And a good man — from his fruits.
15 An innocent man bileueth to eche word; a felle man biholdith hise goyngis.
The simple giveth credence to everything, And the prudent attendeth to his step.
16 A wijs man dredith, and bowith awei fro yuel; a fool skippith ouer, and tristith.
The wise is fearing and turning from evil, And a fool is transgressing and is confident.
17 A man vnpacient schal worche foli; and a gileful man is odiouse.
Whoso is short of temper doth folly, And a man of wicked devices is hated.
18 Litle men of wit schulen holde foli; and felle men schulen abide kunnyng.
The simple have inherited folly, And the prudent are crowned [with] knowledge.
19 Yuel men schulen ligge bifor goode men; and vnpitouse men bifor the yatis of iust men.
The evil have bowed down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 A pore man schal be hateful, yhe, to his neiybore; but many men ben frendis of riche men.
Even of his neighbour is the poor hated, And those loving the rich [are] many.
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;
Whoso is despising his neighbour sinneth, Whoso is favouring the humble, O his happiness.
22 thei erren that worchen yuel. Merci and treuthe maken redi goodis;
Do not they err who are devising evil? And kindness and truth [are] to those devising good,
23 abundaunce `schal be in ech good werk. Sotheli where ful many wordis ben, there nedynesse is ofte.
In all labour there is advantage, And a thing of the lips [is] only to want.
24 The coroun of wise men is the richessis of hem; the fooli of foolis is vnwarnesse.
The crown of the wise is their wealth, The folly of fools [is] folly.
25 A feithful witnesse delyuereth soulis; and a fals man bringith forth leesyngis.
A true witness is delivering souls, And a deceitful one breatheth out lies.
26 In the drede of the Lord is triste of strengthe; and hope schal be to the sones of it.
In the fear of Jehovah [is] strong confidence, And to His sons there is a refuge.
27 The drede of the Lord is a welle of lijf; that it bowe awei fro the fallyng of deth.
The fear of Jehovah [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from snares 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.
In the multitude of a people [is] the honour of a king, And in lack of people the ruin of a prince.
29 He that is pacient, is gouerned bi myche wisdom; but he that is vnpacient, enhaunsith his foli.
Whoso is slow to anger [is] of great understanding, And whoso is short in temper is exalting folly.
30 Helthe of herte is the lijf of fleischis; enuye is rot of boonys.
A healed heart [is] life to the flesh, And rottenness to the bones [is] envy.
31 He that falsli chalengith a nedi man, dispisith his maker; but he that hath merci on a pore man, onourith that makere.
An oppressor of the poor reproacheth his Maker, And whoso is honouring Him Is favouring the needy.
32 A wickid man is put out for his malice; but a iust man hopith in his deth.
In his wickedness is the wicked driven away, And trustful in his death [is] the righteous.
33 Wisdom restith in the herte of a wijs man; and he schal teche alle vnlerned men.
In the heart of the intelligent wisdom doth rest. And in the midst of fools it is known.
34 Riytfulnesse reisith a folc; synne makith puplis wretchis.
Righteousness exalteth a nation, And the goodliness of peoples [is] a sin-offering.
35 A mynystre vndurstondynge is acceptable to a kyng; a mynystre vnprofitable schal suffre the wrathfulnesse of him.
The favour of a king [is] to a wise servant, And an object of his wrath is one causing shame!
