Proverbs 24
1 Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
2 For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
3 An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
4 Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
5 A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
7 Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
8 He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
10 If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
11 Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 If thou seist, Strengthis suffisen not; he that is biholdere of the herte, vndirstondith, and no thing disseyueth the kepere of thi soule, and he schal yelde to a man bi hise werkis.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
13 Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 `So and the techyng of wisdom is good to thi soule; and whanne thou hast founde it, thou schalt haue hope in the laste thingis, and thin hope schal not perische.
Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.
15 Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.
16 For a iust man schal falle seuene sithis in the dai, and schal rise ayen; but wickid men schulen falle in to yuele.
For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
17 Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
23 Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
25 Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
28 Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Seie thou not, As he dide to me, so Y schal do to him, and Y schal yelde to ech man aftir his werk.
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
32 And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:
33 Hou longe slepist thou, slow man? whanne schalt thou ryse fro sleep? Sotheli thou schalt slepe a litil, thou schalt nappe a litil, thou schalt ioyne togidere the hondis a litil, to take reste;
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
