Proverbs 3
1 Mi sone, foryete thou not my lawe; and thyn herte kepe my comaundementis.
My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments;
2 For tho schulen sette to thee the lengthe of daies, and the yeeris of lijf, and pees.
for length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee.
3 Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
4 And thou schalt fynde grace, and good teching bifore God and men.
and thou shalt find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Haue thou trist in the Lord, of al thin herte; and triste thou not to thi prudence.
Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence;
6 In alle thi weies thenke thou on hym, and he schal dresse thi goyngis.
in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.
7 Be thou not wijs anentis thi silf; drede thou God, and go awei fro yuel.
Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
8 For whi helthe schal be in thi nawle, and moisting of thi boonys.
it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones.
9 Onoure thou the Lord of thi catel, and of the beste of alle thi fruytis yyue thou to pore men;
Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 and thi bernes schulen be fillid with abundaunce, and pressours schulen flowe with wiyn.
so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 My sone, caste thou not awei the teching of the Lord; and faile thou not, whanne thou art chastisid of him.
My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement;
12 For the Lord chastisith hym, whom he loueth; and as a fadir in the sone he plesith hym.
for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Blessid is the man that fyndith wisdom, and which flowith with prudence.
Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 The geting therof is betere than the marchaundie of gold and of siluer; the fruytis therof ben the firste and clenneste.
For the gain thereof is better than the gain of silver, and her revenue than fine gold.
15 It is preciousere than alle richessis; and alle thingis that ben desirid, moun not be comparisound to this.
She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her.
16 Lengthe of daies is in the riythalf therof, and richessis and glorie ben in the lifthalf therof.
Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand riches and honour.
17 The weies therof ben feire weies, and alle the pathis therof ben pesible.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her.
19 The Lord foundide the erthe bi wisdom; he stablischide heuenes bi prudence.
Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.
20 The depthis of watris braken out bi his wisdom; and cloudis wexen togidere bi dewe.
By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My sone, these thingis flete not awey fro thin iyen; kepe thou my lawe, and my counsel;
My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 and lijf schal be to thi soule, and grace `schal be to thi chekis.
so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck.
23 Thanne thou schalt go tristili in thi weie; and thi foot schal not snapere.
Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble;
24 If thou schalt slepe, thou schalt not drede; thou schalt reste, and thi sleep schal be soft.
when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Drede thou not bi sudeyne feer, and the powers of wickid men fallynge in on thee.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
26 For the Lord schal be at thi side; and he schal kepe thi foot, that thou be not takun.
for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Nil thou forbede to do wel him that mai; if thou maist, and do thou wel.
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
28 Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.
29 Ymagyne thou not yuel to thi freend, whanne he hath trist in thee.
Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Stryue thou not ayens a man with out cause, whanne he doith noon yuel to thee.
Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Sue thou not an vniust man, sue thou not hise weies.
Envy not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For ech disseyuer is abhomynacioun of the Lord; and his speking is with simple men.
For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; but his secret is with the upright.
33 Nedinesse is sent of the Lord in the hous of a wickid man; but the dwelling places of iust men schulen be blessid.
The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 He schal scorne scorneris; and he schal yyue grace to mylde men.
He indeed scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 Wise men schulen haue glorie; enhaunsing of foolis is schenschipe.
The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of the foolish.
