Proverbs 4
1 Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
For I give you a good gift; forsake you not my law.
3 For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
For I also was a son obedient to [my] father, and loved in the sight of [my] mother:
4 And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
who spoke and instructed me, [saying], Let our speech be fixed in your heart, keep [our] commandments, forget them not:
5 Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to you: love it, and it shall keep you.
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.
Secure it, and it shall exalt you: honour it, that it may embrace you;
9 It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
that it may give to your head a crown of graces, and may cover you with a crown of delight.
10 Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
Hear, [my] son, and receive my words; and the years of your life shall be increased, that the resources of your life may be many.
11 Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
For I teach you the ways of wisdom; and I cause you to go in right paths.
12 In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
For when you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not be distressed.
13 Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
Take hold of my instruction; let it not go, —but keep it for yourself for your life.
14 Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.
15 Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not there; but turn from them, and pass away.
16 For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.
For they can’t sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.
17 Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.
18 But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.
But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come.
19 The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.
20 Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
[My] son, attend to my speech; and apply your ear to my words:
21 Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
that your fountains may not fail you; keep them in [your] heart.
22 For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all [their] flesh.
23 With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
Keep your heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.
24 Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
Remove from you a froward mouth, and put far away from you unjust lips.
25 Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids assent [to] just [things].
26 Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
Make straight paths for your feet, and order your ways aright.
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.
Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away your foot from an evil way.
