Proverbs 22
1 Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.
A good name is preferable to abundant riches, and good grace, to silver and to gold.
2 A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.
The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker them all.
3 A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.
The prudent foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4 The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.
The reward of humility [and] the fear of the Lord are riches and honor, and life.
5 Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.
Thorns and snares are on the way of a perverse man: he that doth guard his soul will keep far from them.
6 It is a prouerbe, A yong wexynge man bisidis his weie, and whanne he hath wexe elde, he schal not go awei fro it.
Train up the lad in accordance with his course: even when he groweth old, will he not depart from it.
7 A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.
A rich man ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the man that lendeth.
8 He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.
He that soweth injustice will reap wrong-doing; and the rod of God's wrath will not fail.
9 He that is redi to merci, schal be blessid; for of his looues he yaf to a pore man. He that yyueth yiftis, schal gete victorie and onour; forsothe he takith awei the soule of the takeris.
A man of a benevolent eye will indeed be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10 Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.
Drive away the scorner, and strife will go off; and then will cease contention and dishonor.
11 He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.
He that loveth with a pure heart, and hath grace on his lips, will have the king as his friend.
12 The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.
The eyes of the Lord guard knowledge, and he overturneth the words of the treacherous.
13 A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.
The slothful saith, There is a lion without, in the midst of the streets shall I be murdered.
14 The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.
A deep pit is the mouth of adulterous women: he that hath obtained the indignation of the Lord will fall thereinto.
15 Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.
When folly is bound fast to the heart of a lad, the rod of correction must remove it far from him.
16 He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.
He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, [must at length] give to the rich, and come only to want.
17 My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.
Incline thy ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart unto my knowledge.
18 That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.
For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thy bosom, if they be altogether firmly seated upon thy lips.
19 That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.
That thy trust may be in the Lord, have I made them known to thee this day, yea, even to thee.
20 Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,
Have not I written for thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.
That I might make thee know rectitude, the sayings of truth; that thou mightest bring back answers of truth to those that send thee?
22 Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.
Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither crush the afflicted in the gate;
23 For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.
For the Lord will plead their cause, and despoil the life of those that despoil them.
24 Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;
Make no friendship with a man given to anger; and with a man of fury thou must have no intercourse:
25 lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.
Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare for thy own soul.
26 Nyle thou be with hem that oblischen her hondis, and that proferen hem silf borewis for dettis; for if he hath not wherof he schal restore,
Be not one of those that pledge their hand, or of those that are sureties for debts.
27 what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?
If thou have nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28 Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.
Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have established.
29 Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.
Seest thou a man that is diligent in his work? before kings may he place himself: let him not place himself before obscure men.
