Proverbs 27
1 Haue thou not glorie on the morewe, `not knowynge what thing the dai to comynge schal bringe forth.
Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day brings forth.
2 Another man, and not thi mouth preise thee; a straunger, and not thi lippis `preise thee.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, A stranger, and not your 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 [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool 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] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who stands before jealousy?
5 Betere is opyn repreuyng, than loue hid.
Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
6 Betere ben the woundis of hym that loueth, than the gileful cossis of hym that hatith.
The wounds of a lover are faithful, And the kisses of an enemy [are] abundant.
7 A man fillid schal dispise an hony coomb; but an hungri man schal take, yhe, bittir thing for swete.
A satiated soul treads down a honeycomb, And every bitter thing [is] sweet [to] a hungry soul.
8 As a brid passinge ouer fro his nest, so is a man that forsakith his place.
As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering 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.
Perfume and incense make the heart glad, And the sweetness of one’s friend—from counsel of the soul.
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.
Do not forsake your own friend and the friend of your father, And do not enter the house of your brother in a day of your calamity, A near neighbor [is] better 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, And I return a word [to] my reproacher.
12 A fel man seynge yuel was hid; litle men of wit passinge forth suffriden harmes.
The prudent has seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they 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 when a stranger has been guarantor, And pledge it for a strange woman.
14 He that blessith his neiybore with greet vois; and risith bi niyt, schal be lijk hym that cursith.
Whoever is greeting his friend with a loud voice, Rising early in the morning, It is reckoned a light thing to him.
15 Roouys droppynge in the dai of coold, and a womman ful of chidyng ben comparisond.
A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
16 He that withholdith hir, as if he holdith wynd; and auoidith the oile of his riyt hond.
Whoever is hiding her has hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calls out.
17 Yrun is whettid bi irun; and a man whettith the face of his frend.
Iron is sharpened by iron, And a man sharpens the face 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.
The keeper of a fig tree eats its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honored.
19 As the cheris of men biholdinge schynen in watris; so the hertis of men ben opyn to prudent men.
As [in] water the face [is] 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 not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not 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.
A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
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 you beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things—with a pestle, His folly does not turn aside from off him.
23 Knowe thou diligentli the cheere of thi beeste; and biholde thou thi flockis.
Know the face of your flock well, Set your heart to the droves,
24 For thou schalt not haue power contynueli; but a coroun schal be youun to thee in generacioun and in to generacioun.
For riches [are] not for all time, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
25 Medewis ben openyd, and greene eerbis apperiden; and hey is gaderid fro hillis.
The hay was revealed, and the tender grass seen, And the herbs of mountains gathered.
26 Lambren be to thi clothing; and kidis be to the prijs of feeld.
Lambs [are] for your clothing, And the price of the field [are] male goats,
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 a sufficiency of goats’ milk [is] for your bread, For bread to your house, and life to your girls!
