Proverbs 27
1 Haue thou not glorie on the morewe, `not knowynge what thing the dai to comynge schal bringe forth.
Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth.
2 Another man, and not thi mouth preise thee; a straunger, and not thi lippis `preise thee.
Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
3 A stoon is heuy, and grauel is chariouse; but the ire of a fool is heuyere than euer eithir.
A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's vexation is heavier than them both.
4 Ire hath no merci, and woodnesse brekynge out `hath no merci; and who mai suffre the fersnesse of a spirit stirid?
Fury is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Betere is opyn repreuyng, than loue hid.
Open rebuke is better than hidden love.
6 Betere ben the woundis of hym that loueth, than the gileful cossis of hym that hatith.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7 A man fillid schal dispise an hony coomb; but an hungri man schal take, yhe, bittir thing for swete.
The full soul trampleth on a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 As a brid passinge ouer fro his nest, so is a man that forsakith his place.
As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
9 The herte delitith in oynement, and dyuerse odours; and a soule is maad swete bi the good counsels of a frend.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; and the sweetness of one's friend is [the fruit] of hearty counsel.
10 Forsake thou not thi frend, and the frend of thi fadir; and entre thou not in to the hous of thi brothir, in the dai of thi turment. Betere is a neiybore nyy, than a brothir afer.
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
11 Mi sone, studie thou a boute wisdom, and make thou glad myn herte; that thou maist answere a word to a dispisere.
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me.
12 A fel man seynge yuel was hid; litle men of wit passinge forth suffriden harmes.
A prudent [man] seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
13 Take thou awei his clooth, that bihiyte for a straunger; and take thou awei a wed fro hym for an alien man.
Take his garment that is become surety [for] another, and hold him in pledge for a strange woman.
14 He that blessith his neiybore with greet vois; and risith bi niyt, schal be lijk hym that cursith.
He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be reckoned a curse to him.
15 Roouys droppynge in the dai of coold, and a womman ful of chidyng ben comparisond.
A continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike:
16 He that withholdith hir, as if he holdith wynd; and auoidith the oile of his riyt hond.
whosoever will restrain her restraineth the wind, and his right hand encountereth oil.
17 Yrun is whettid bi irun; and a man whettith the face of his frend.
Iron is sharpened by iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 He that kepith a fige tre, schal ete the fruytis therof; and he that is a kepere of his lord, schal be glorified.
Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; and he that guardeth his master shall be honoured.
19 As the cheris of men biholdinge schynen in watris; so the hertis of men ben opyn to prudent men.
As [in] water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.
20 Helle and perdicioun schulen not be fillid; so and the iyen of men moun not be fillid. (Sheol h7585)
Sheol and destruction are insatiable; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Sheol h7585)
21 As siluer is preuyd in a wellyng place, and gold `is preued in a furneys; so a man is preued bi the mouth of preyseris. The herte of a wickid man sekith out yuels; but a riytful herte sekith out kunnyng.
The fining-pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; so let a man be to the mouth that praiseth him.
22 Thouy thou beetist a fool in a morter, as with a pestel smytynge aboue dried barli; his foli schal not be don awei fro him.
If thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his folly depart from him.
23 Knowe thou diligentli the cheere of thi beeste; and biholde thou thi flockis.
Be well acquainted with the appearance of thy flocks; look well to thy herds:
24 For thou schalt not haue power contynueli; but a coroun schal be youun to thee in generacioun and in to generacioun.
for wealth is not for ever; and doth the crown [endure] from generation to generation?
25 Medewis ben openyd, and greene eerbis apperiden; and hey is gaderid fro hillis.
The hay is removed, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
26 Lambren be to thi clothing; and kidis be to the prijs of feeld.
The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of a field;
27 The mylke of geete suffice to thee for thi meetis; in to the necessarie thingis of thin hous, and to lijflode to thin handmaidis.
and there is goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and sustenance for thy maidens.
