Proverbs 24
1 Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
Be not thou envious of wicked men, And desire not 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 speak mischief.
3 An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
Through wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding is it established;
4 Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
Yea, by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and goodly substance.
5 A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
The wise man is strong; Yea, the man of understanding establisheth his strength.
6 For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
For by wise counsel shalt thou make war, And by the multitude of counsellors cometh success.
7 Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
Wisdom is too high for the fool; He openeth not his mouth at the gate.
8 He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
He that deviseth to do evil Shall be called mischief-master.
9 The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
The purpose of folly is sin; And a scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
If thy spirit faint in the day of adversity, Faint will be thy strength.
11 Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
Deliver thou those who are dragged to death, And those who totter to the slaughter, —O keep them back!
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 sayst, “Behold, we knew it not!” Doth not he that weigheth the heart observe it? Yea, he that keepeth thy soul knoweth it. And he will render to every man according to his works.
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, which 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 learn thou wisdom for thy soul! When thou hast found it, there shall be a reward, And thy 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.
Plot not, O wicked man! against the habitation of the righteous; Spoil not 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 the righteous fall seven times, yet shall he rise up again; But the wicked shall fall into mischief.
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 the LORD see, and it displease him, And he turn away his anger from him.
19 Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
Fret not thyself on account of evil men, Neither be thou 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 posterity 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 thou the LORD and the king; And mingle 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 up suddenly, And their ruin, coming from them both, in a moment.
23 Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
These also are words of 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 to the wicked, “Thou art righteous,” Him shall the people curse; Nations shall abhor him.
25 Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
But it shall be well with them that punish him, And the blessing of prosperity shall come upon them.
26 He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
He that giveth a right answer Kisseth the lips.
27 Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
Arrange thy work without, And prepare it in thy field: Afterwards thou mayst 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 without cause against thy neighbor, And deceive not 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, “As he hath done to me, So will I do to him; I will render to the man according to his doings.”
30 I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
I passed by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the 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 overgrown with thorns, And the face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it. 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.
So shall poverty come upon thee like a highwayman; Yea, want like an armed man.
