Proverbs 22
1 Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.
(Having a good reputation/Being honored by people) is better than having a lot of money; being well respected is better than having plenty of gold or silver [DOU].
2 A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.
There is one thing that is true about both rich people and poor people: Yahweh is the one who created all of them.
3 A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.
Those who have good sense realize [that there is something] dangerous ahead, and they avoid it; those who do not have good sense just keep going and later they will suffer because of doing that.
4 The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.
The reward that Yahweh gives to those who are humble and who revere him is that he causes them to be rich and honored and to live for a long time.
5 Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.
Because of the things that wicked people do, [they have difficulties/troubles] that will be like thorns and traps on the roads that they walk on [MET]; people who are careful/cautious will be able to stay away from those difficulties.
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.
If you train/teach children to do what is right, all during their life they will act/behave in that manner.
7 A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.
Rich people rule over poor people harshly, and those who borrow money become like slaves [MET] of the people who lend [money to them].
8 He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.
[If you plant corn or rice, corn or rice will grow]; [similarly], if you act unjustly, you will have disasters [MET]; and if you try to harm/oppress people [because you are angry with them], you will not be able to harm them.
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.
[God] will bless those who are generous [IDM], those who give some of their food to poor [people].
10 Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.
If you get rid of those who make fun of [everything that is good], there will no more arguing or quarreling or insulting [other people].
11 He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.
If you always act sincerely [IDM] and always speak kindly, the king will be your friend.
12 The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.
Yahweh [SYN] (watches over/takes care of) [those who have] good understanding/sense, but he ruins the plans/affairs of those who always try to deceive others.
13 A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.
Lazy people [remain in their houses]; they say, “A lion might attack me if I go out into the street [to go to work]!”
14 The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.
What (wives who commit adultery/immoral women) say [to men] [MTY] is [like] a deep pit [MET] [into which those men fall]; those with whom Yahweh is angry will fall into that pit.
15 Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.
Children [SYN] naturally do things that are foolish, but if you punish/spank them [PRS], they [will] (stop doing foolish things/learn to behave as they should).
16 He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.
Those who oppress poor [people] in order to become rich, and those who give [a bribe] to rich [people in order that the rich people will do a favor for them], will just lose their money.
17 My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.
[Now] listen [MTY] to what wise [people] have said; think carefully about what I am teaching you.
18 That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.
It will be good to (keep these things in your minds/always remember them), because if you do that, you will be able to quote/recite them [to others].
19 That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.
[I want you to] trust in Yahweh, and that is the reason that I am telling them to you, now.
20 Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,
I have written [RHQ] 30 (sayings/things that wise people have said) from which you will receive good advice and you will be able you to know [many good/useful things].
21 that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.
From them, you will learn what is right and what is true, in order that you will be able to bring back a good report to those who sent you [to school] (OR, give a good answer [to those who ask you questions]).
22 Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.
[It is easy to] rob poor [people] who are helpless [and cannot defend themselves, but] never [do that]; and do not oppress in court those who are needy/afflicted,
23 For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.
because Yahweh will speak to defend them, and he will punish those who steal things from others—by causing them to die.
24 Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;
Do not become friends with those who often become angry, and do not associate with those who cannot control their temper/anger,
25 lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.
because you might start to act like they do and not be able to stop doing that.
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,
If someone borrows money, do not be one of those who promises to pay what that person owes he cannot pay it back,
27 what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?
because if you cannot pay it back, people will surely [RHQ] [come and] take away [everything you own], even your bed.
28 Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.
Do not [steal some of your neighbors’ land by] removing the boundary lines/markers that your ancestors placed/set.
29 Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.
Know/Learn [RHQ] this about those who do their work very skillfully: They will quit working for ordinary people and will start working for kings [because the kings will want people like that to work for them].
