Proverbs 4
1 Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.
[Audite, filii, disciplinam patris, et attendite ut sciatis prudentiam.
2 Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.
Donum bonum tribuam vobis: legem meam ne derelinquatis.
3 For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.
Nam et ego filius fui patris mei, tenellus et unigenitus coram matre mea.
4 And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
Et docebat me, atque dicebat: Suscipiat verba mea cor tuum; custodi præcepta mea, et vives.
5 Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.
Posside sapientiam, posside prudentiam: ne obliviscaris, neque declines a verbis oris mei.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.
Ne dimittas eam, et custodiet te: dilige eam, et conservabit te.
7 The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.
Principium sapientiæ: posside sapientiam, et in omni possessione tua acquire prudentiam.
8 Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.
Arripe illam, et exaltabit te; glorificaberis ab ea cum eam fueris amplexatus.
9 It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.
Dabit capiti tuo augmenta gratiarum, et corona inclyta proteget te.]
10 Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.
[Audi, fili mi, et suscipe verba mea, ut multiplicentur tibi anni vitæ.
11 Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.
Viam sapientiæ monstrabo tibi; ducam te per semitas æquitatis:
12 In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.
quas cum ingressus fueris, non arctabuntur gressus tui, et currens non habebis offendiculum.
13 Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.
Tene disciplinam, ne dimittas eam; custodi illam, quia ipsa est vita tua.
14 Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.
Ne delecteris in semitis impiorum, nec tibi placeat malorum via.
15 Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.
Fuge ab ea, nec transeas per illam; declina, et desere eam.
16 For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.
Non enim dormiunt nisi malefecerint, et rapitur somnus ab eis nisi supplantaverint.
17 Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.
Comedunt panem impietatis, et vinum iniquitatis bibunt.
18 But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.
Justorum autem semita quasi lux splendens procedit, et crescit usque ad perfectam diem.
19 The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.
Via impiorum tenebrosa; nesciunt ubi corruant.
20 Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.
Fili mi, ausculta sermones meos, et ad eloquia mea inclina aurem tuam.
21 Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.
Ne recedant ab oculis tuis: custodi ea in medio cordis tui:
22 For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.
vita enim sunt invenientibus ea, et universæ carni sanitas.
23 With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.
Omni custodia serva cor tuum, quia ex ipso vita procedit.
24 Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.
Remove a te os pravum, et detrahentia labia sint procul a te.
25 Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.
Oculi tui recta videant, et palpebræ tuæ præcedant gressus tuos.
26 Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.
Dirige semitam pedibus tuis, et omnes viæ tuæ stabilientur.
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.
Ne declines ad dexteram neque ad sinistram; averte pedem tuum a malo: vias enim quæ a dextris sunt novit Dominus: perversæ vero sunt quæ a sinistris sunt. Ipse autem rectos faciet cursus tuos, itinera autem tua in pace producet.]
