< Proverbs 24 >

1 Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;
2 For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3 An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;
4 Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.
5 A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6 For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.
8 He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.
9 The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.
10 If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
[If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.
11 Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to 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 thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.
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 a honeycomb is sweet to thy 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.
so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste 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 the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.
17 Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18 lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.
19 Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not 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 there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.
22 For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
23 Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;
25 Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.
26 He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.
27 Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.
28 Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy 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.
Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to 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 by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
31 nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I 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.
So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.

< Proverbs 24 >