< Proverbs 4 >
1 Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
2 Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
3 For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
4 And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
5 Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
7 The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.
8 Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.
9 It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
10 Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
11 Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
12 In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
13 Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
14 Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
15 Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
16 For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.
17 Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
18 But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.
19 The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
20 Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
21 Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
22 For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
23 With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
24 Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
25 Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
26 Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
27 Bowe thou not to the riytside, nether to the leftside; turne awei thi foot fro yuel. For the Lord knowith the weies that ben at the riytside; but the weies ben weiward, that ben at the leftside. Forsothe he schal make thi goyngis riytful; and thi weies schulen be brouyt forth in pees.
