Proverbs 4
1 Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
3 For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before my mother.
4 And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
And he instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
5 Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
7 The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.
The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
8 Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.
Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
9 It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
10 Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
11 Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
12 In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
15 Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, 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 sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
17 Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
18 But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.
But the path of the righteous is as the early morning light, that shineth more and more brightly until the height of noonday.
19 The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
20 Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
21 Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
23 With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
25 Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
26 Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
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 to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
