Proverbs 2
1 Mi sone, if thou resseyuest my wordis, `and hidist myn heestis anentis thee;
My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
2 that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence.
if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
3 For if thou inwardli clepist wisdom, and bowist thin herte to prudence;
if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if thou sekist it as money, and diggist it out as tresours;
if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
5 thanne thou schalt vndirstonde the drede of the Lord, and schalt fynde the kunnyng of God.
then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord yyueth wisdom; and prudence and kunnyng is of his mouth.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He schal kepe the heelthe of riytful men, and he schal defende hem that goen sympli.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
8 And he schal kepe the pathis of riytfulnesse, and he schal kepe the weies of hooli men.
to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.
9 Thanne thou schalt vndirstonde riytfulnesse, and dom, and equytee, and ech good path.
Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
10 If wysdom entrith in to thin herte, and kunnyng plesith thi soule,
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.
11 good councel schal kepe thee, and prudence schal kepe thee; that thou be delyuered fro an yuel weie,
Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,
12 and fro a man that spekith weiward thingis.
to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
13 Whiche forsaken a riytful weie, and goen bi derk weies;
from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 whiche ben glad, whanne thei han do yuel, and maken ful out ioye in worste thingis;
from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
15 whose weies ben weywerd, and her goyingis ben of yuel fame.
whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
16 That thou be delyuered fro an alien womman, and fro a straunge womman, that makith soft hir wordis;
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
17 and forsakith the duyk of hir tyme of mariage,
who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
18 and hath foryete the couenaunt of hir God. For the hous of hir is bowid to deeth, and hir pathis to helle.
For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
19 Alle that entren to hir, schulen not turne ayen, nether schulen catche the pathis of lijf.
None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.
20 That thou go in a good weie, and kepe the pathis of iust men.
So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 Forsothe thei that ben riytful, schulen dwelle in the lond; and symple men schulen perfitli dwelle ther ynne.
For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
22 But vnfeithful men schulen be lost fro the loond; and thei that doen wickidli, schulen be takun awey fro it.
but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
