Proverbs 16
1 It perteyneth to man to make redi the soule; and it perteyneth to the Lord to gouerne the tunge.
People plan what they want to do, but Yahweh is the one who decides [MTY] what really will happen.
2 Alle the weies of men ben opyn to the iyen of God; the Lord is a weiere of spiritis.
People may think that their actions are right, but Yahweh really knows why people do what they do.
3 Schewe thi werkys to the Lord; and thi thouytis schulen be dressid.
(Request/Rely on) Yahweh to direct what you plan to do; [if you do that], you will succeed in what you plan.
4 The Lord wrouyte alle thingis for hym silf; and he made redi a wickid man to the yuel dai.
Yahweh knows why he does everything that he does; he has even prepared the wicked for the time that he will punish them.
5 Abhomynacioun of the Lord is ech proude man; yhe, thouy the hond is to the hond, he schal not be innocent. The bigynnyng of good weie is to do riytwisnesse; forsothe it is more acceptable at God, than to offre sacrifices.
Yahweh hates/detests everyone who is proud [IDM]; you can be certain [IDM] that they will be punished [LIT].
6 Wickidnesse is ayen bouyt bi merci and treuthe; and me bowith awei fro yuel bi the drede of the Lord.
Be loyal to Yahweh and faithfully [obey] him; if you do that, he will forgive you for having sinned. If we revere him, nothing evil will happen to us (OR, he will prevent evil things from happening to us).
7 Whanne the weyes of man plesen the Lord, he schal conuerte, yhe, hise enemyes to pees.
When our behavior pleases Yahweh, he even causes our enemies to act peacefully toward us.
8 Betere is a litil with riytfulnesse, than many fruytis with wickidnesse.
It is better to have a small amount of money that is earned honestly than to have a lot of money that is acquired dishonestly.
9 The herte of a man schal dispose his weie; but it perteyneth to the Lord to dresse hise steppis.
People plan what they want to do, but Yahweh directs/determines what they will [really] be able to do.
10 Dyuynyng is in the lippis of a king; his mouth schal not erre in doom.
[If] God directs what a king says, what he decides is [always] right/fair.
11 The domes of the Lord ben weiyte and a balaunce; and hise werkis ben alle the stoonys of the world.
Yahweh wants us to use scales that are correct; the weights in his bag are correct, [because] he made them.
12 Thei that don wickidli ben abhomynable to the king; for the trone of the rewme is maad stidfast bi riytfulnesse.
Kings detest those who do evil, because [it is people doing what] is fair/right that causes their governments to be [MTY] strong.
13 The wille of kyngis is iust lippis; he that spekith riytful thingis, schal be dressid.
Kings are delighted to hear people say [MTY] what is true; they love those who say what is right/honest.
14 Indignacioun of the kyng is messangeris of deth; and a wijs man schal plese him.
If a king becomes angry, he [may] command that someone be executed, [so] wise people will [try to] cause him to be calm.
15 Lijf is in the gladnesse of the `cheer of the king; and his merci is as a reyn comynge late.
If a king has a smile [MTY] on his face, he will enable people to have a [long] life (OR, he will not order people to be executed); his being pleased [with people] is [as delightful] as rain in the springtime [when seeds are planted].
16 Welde thou wisdom, for it is betere than gold; and gete thou prudence, for it is precyousere than siluer.
Becoming wise is better than aquiring gold; getting good understanding/insight is better than acquiring silver.
17 The path of iust men bowith awei yuelis; the kepere of his soule kepith his weie.
Those whose behavior [MET] is good/right turn away from doing evil; those who guard their conduct [MTY] protect their lives.
18 Pride goith bifore sorewe; and the spirit schal be enhaunsid byfor fallyng.
Being proud will (lead to your having/cause you to have) disasters; despising others will result in your being ruined.
19 It is betere to be maad meke with mylde men, than to departe spuylis with proude men.
It is better to be humble and poor than [to associate with] proud [people] and [to become rich by] dividing with them (plunder/goods captured in a battle).
20 A lerned man in word schal fynde goodis; and he that hopith in the Lord is blessid.
Those who heed good teaching/instruction will prosper; happy are those who trust in Yahweh.
21 He that is wijs in herte, schal be clepid prudent; and he that is swete in speche, schal fynde grettere thingis.
People say that those who are wise learn what is right/good behavior, and those who talk pleasantly [are able to] influence others [to do what is right].
22 The welle of lijf is the lernyng of him that weldith; the techyng of foolis is foli.
Being wise is [like having] a fountain that gives life [MET], but foolish people are punished as a result of their acting foolishly.
23 The herte of a wijs man schal teche his mouth; and schal encreesse grace to hise lippis.
Those who are wise think carefully before they talk, and as a result they are able to influence/persuade others [to do what is right].
24 Wordis wel set togidere is a coomb of hony; helthe of boonys is the swetnesse of soule.
Kind words are like honey [SIM]: We enjoy them both, and both cause our bodies to be healthy/strong.
25 A weye is that semeth riytful to a man; and the laste thingis therof leden to deth.
There are some kinds of behavior [MET] that people think are right, but (walking on those roads [MET]/continually doing those things) causes those people to die.
26 The soule of a man trauelinge trauelith to hym silf; for his mouth compellide hym.
If a worker (has an appetite/is hungry), that urges him to work hard because he [SYN] wants to [earn money to buy things to] eat.
27 An vnwijs man diggith yuel; and fier brenneth in hise lippis.
Worthless people plan [ways to cause] trouble [for others], and [even] what they say [injures people] like a hot fire does [SIM].
28 A weiward man reisith stryues; and a man ful of wordis departith princis.
Deceitful people cause strife/quarreling among other people; those who say false things about other people cause people who are friends to become enemies.
29 A wickid man flaterith his frend; and ledith hym bi a weie not good.
Those who act violently entice/encourage others [to also act violently] and lead them along a road that will end in disaster.
30 He that thenkith schrewid thingis with iyen astonyed, bitith hise lippis, and parformeth yuel.
People [sometimes] show with [one of] their eyes [to signal to their friends that they are] planning to do something to harm [others]; they smirk when they are about to do something evil.
31 A coroun of dignyte is eelde, that schal be foundun in the weies of riytfulnesse.
Gray hair is [like] a glorious crown [MET] that is given to people who have always behaved righteously.
32 A pacient man is betere than a stronge man; and he that `is lord of his soule, is betere than an ouercomere of citees.
Those who do not become angry quickly are better than those who are powerful; it is better to (control your temper/keep yourself from becoming very angry) than to conquer a city.
33 Lottis ben sent into the bosum; but tho ben temperid of the Lord.
People (cast lots/throw marked stones) [to decide what should be done], but God is the one who truly decides what will happen.
