Proverbs 17
1 Betere is a drie mussel with ioye, than an hous ful of sacrifices with chidyng.
Better [is] a dry morsel, and rest with it, Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.
2 A wijs seruaunt schal be lord of fonned sones; and he schal departe eritage among britheren.
A wise servant rules over a son causing shame, And he apportions an inheritance in the midst of brothers.
3 As siluer is preued bi fier, and gold is preued bi a chymnei, so the Lord preueth hertis.
A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And the trier of hearts [is] YHWH.
4 An yuel man obeieth to a wickid tunge; and a fals man obeieth to false lippis.
An evildoer is attentive to lips of vanity, Falsehood is giving ear to a mischievous 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.
Whoever is mocking at the poor Has reproached his Maker, Whoever is rejoicing at calamity is not acquitted.
6 The coroun of elde men is the sones of sones; and the glorie of sones is the fadris of hem.
Sons’ sons [are] the crown of old men, And the glory of sons [are] their fathers.
7 Wordis wel set togidere bisemen not a fool; and a liynge lippe bicometh not a prince.
A lip of excellence is not fitting for a fool, much less a lip of falsehood for a noble.
8 A preciouse stoon moost acceptable is the abiding of hym that sekith; whidur euere he turneth hym silf, he vndurstondith prudentli.
A stone of grace [is] the bribe in the eyes of its possessors, Wherever it turns, it prospers.
9 He that helith trespas, sekith frenschipis; he that rehersith bi an hiy word, departith hem, that ben knyt togidere in pees.
Whoever is covering transgression is seeking love, And whoever is repeating a matter Is separating a familiar friend.
10 A blamyng profitith more at a prudent man, than an hundryd woundis at a fool.
Rebuke comes down on the intelligent More than one hundred stripes on a fool.
11 Euere an yuel man sekith stryues; forsothe a cruel aungel schal be sent ayens hym.
An evil man seeks only rebellion, And a fierce messenger is 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.
The meeting of a bereaved bear by a man, And—not a fool in his folly.
13 Yuel schal not go a wei fro the hous of hym, that yeldith yuels for goodis.
Whoever is returning evil for good, Evil does not move from his house.
14 He that leeueth watir, is heed of stryues; and bifor that he suffrith wrong, he forsakith dom.
The beginning of contention [is] a letting out of waters, And leave the strife before it is meddled with.
15 Bothe he that iustifieth a wickid man, and he that condempneth a iust man, euer ethir is abhomynable at God.
Whoever is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these [are] an abomination to YHWH.
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 [is] this—a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, And a heart—there is none?
17 He that is a frend, loueth in al tyme; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.
The friend is loving 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 heart is striking hands, He becomes a guarantor before his friend.
19 He that bithenkith discordis, loueth chidingis; and he that enhaunsith his mouth, sekith fallyng.
Whoever is loving transgression is loving debate, Whoever is making his entrance high is seeking destruction.
20 He that is of weiward herte, schal not fynde good; and he that turneth the tunge, schal falle in to yuel.
The perverse of heart does not find good, And the [one] turned in his tongue falls into evil.
21 A fool is borun in his schenschipe; but nether the fadir schal be glad in a fool.
Whoever is begetting a fool has affliction for it, Indeed, the father of a fool does not rejoice.
22 A ioiful soule makith likinge age; a sorewful spirit makith drie boonys.
A rejoicing heart does good to the body, And a struck spirit dries the bone.
23 A wickid man takith yiftis fro the bosum, to mys turne the pathis of doom.
The wicked takes a bribe from the bosom, To turn aside the paths of judgment.
24 Wisdom schyneth in the face of a prudent man; the iyen of foolis ben in the endis of erthe.
The face of the intelligent [is] to wisdom, And the eyes of a fool—at the end 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 [is] a provocation to his father, And bitterness to her bearing him.
26 It is not good to brynge in harm to a iust man; nether to smyte the prince that demeth riytfuli.
Also, [it] is not good to fine the righteous, To strike nobles for uprightness.
27 He that mesurith his wordis, is wijs and prudent; and a lerud man is of preciouse spirit.
One acquainted with knowledge is sparing his words, And the cool of temper [is] a man of understanding.
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 keeping silence is reckoned wise, He who is shutting his lips [seems] intelligent!
