Proverbs 17
1 Betere is a drie mussel with ioye, than an hous ful of sacrifices with chidyng.
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A wijs seruaunt schal be lord of fonned sones; and he schal departe eritage among britheren.
A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 As siluer is preued bi fier, and gold is preued bi a chymnei, so the Lord preueth hertis.
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
4 An yuel man obeieth to a wickid tunge; and a fals man obeieth to false lippis.
A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
5 He that dispisith a pore man, repreueth his maker; and he that is glad in the fallyng of another man, schal not be vnpunyschid.
He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
6 The coroun of elde men is the sones of sones; and the glorie of sones is the fadris of hem.
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
7 Wordis wel set togidere bisemen not a fool; and a liynge lippe bicometh not a prince.
Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
8 A preciouse stoon moost acceptable is the abiding of hym that sekith; whidur euere he turneth hym silf, he vndurstondith prudentli.
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9 He that helith trespas, sekith frenschipis; he that rehersith bi an hiy word, departith hem, that ben knyt togidere in pees.
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
10 A blamyng profitith more at a prudent man, than an hundryd woundis at a fool.
A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
11 Euere an yuel man sekith stryues; forsothe a cruel aungel schal be sent ayens hym.
An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 It spedith more to meete a femal bere, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid, than a fool tristynge to hym silf in his foli.
It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
13 Yuel schal not go a wei fro the hous of hym, that yeldith yuels for goodis.
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
14 He that leeueth watir, is heed of stryues; and bifor that he suffrith wrong, he forsakith dom.
To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
15 Bothe he that iustifieth a wickid man, and he that condempneth a iust man, euer ethir is abhomynable at God.
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous— both are detestable to the LORD.
16 What profitith it to a fool to haue richessis, sithen he mai not bie wisdom? He that makith his hous hiy, sekith falling; and he that eschewith to lerne, schal falle in to yuels.
Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
17 He that is a frend, loueth in al tyme; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A fonned man schal make ioie with hondis, whanne he hath bihiyt for his frend.
A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 He that bithenkith discordis, loueth chidingis; and he that enhaunsith his mouth, sekith fallyng.
He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
20 He that is of weiward herte, schal not fynde good; and he that turneth the tunge, schal falle in to yuel.
The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21 A fool is borun in his schenschipe; but nether the fadir schal be glad in a fool.
A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A ioiful soule makith likinge age; a sorewful spirit makith drie boonys.
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wickid man takith yiftis fro the bosum, to mys turne the pathis of doom.
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
24 Wisdom schyneth in the face of a prudent man; the iyen of foolis ben in the endis of erthe.
Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A fonned sone is the ire of the fadir, and the sorewe of the modir that gendride hym.
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 It is not good to brynge in harm to a iust man; nether to smyte the prince that demeth riytfuli.
It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
27 He that mesurith his wordis, is wijs and prudent; and a lerud man is of preciouse spirit.
A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
28 Also a foole, if he is stille, schal be gessid a wijs man; and, if he pressith togidre hise lippis, he `schal be gessid an vndurstondynge man.
Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
