Proverbs 5
1 Mi sone, perseyue thou my wisdom, and bowe doun thin eere to my prudence; that thou kepe thi thouytis,
My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and incline your ear to my prudence,
2 and thi lippis kepe teching. Yyue thou not tent to the falsnesse of a womman;
so that you may guard your thinking, and so that your lips may preserve discipline. Do not pay attention to the deceit of a woman.
3 for the lippis of an hoore ben an hony coomb droppinge, and hir throte is clerere than oile;
For the lips of a loose woman are like a dripping honeycomb, and her voice is smoother than oil.
4 but the last thingis ben bittir as wormod, and hir tunge is scharp as a swerd keruynge on ech side.
But in the end, she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet descend into death, and her steps reach even to Hell. (Sheol h7585)
6 Tho goon not bi the path of lijf; hir steppis ben vncerteyn, and moun not be souyt out.
They do not walk along the path of life; her steps are wandering and untraceable.
7 Now therfor, my sone, here thou me, and go not awei fro the wordis of my mouth.
Therefore, my son, listen to me now, and do not withdraw from the words of my mouth.
8 Make fer thi weie fro hir, and neiye thou not to the doris of hir hous.
Make your way at a distance from her, and do not approach the doors of her house.
9 Yyue thou not thin onour to aliens, and thi yeeris to the cruel;
Do not give your honor to foreigners, and your years to the cruel.
10 lest perauenture straungeris be fillid with thi strengthis, and lest thi trauels be in an alien hous;
Otherwise, outsiders may be filled with your strength, and your labors may be in a foreign house,
11 and thou biweile in the laste daies, whanne thou hast wastid thi fleschis, and thi bodi; and thou seie,
and you may mourn in the end, when you will have consumed your flesh and your body. And so you may say:
12 Whi wlatide Y teching, and myn herte assentide not to blamyngis;
“Why have I detested discipline, and why has my heart not been quieted by correction?
13 nether Y herde the voys of men techinge me, and Y bowide not doun myn eere to maistris?
And why have I not listened to the voice of those who guided me? And why has my ear not inclined to my teachers?
14 Almest Y was in al yuel, in the myddis of the chirche, and of the synagoge.
I have almost been with all evil in the midst of the church and of the assembly.”
15 Drinke thou watir of thi cisterne, and the floodis of thi pit.
Drink water from your own cistern and from the springs of your own well.
16 Thi wellis be stremed forth; and departe thi watris in stretis.
Let your fountains be diverted far and wide, and divide your waters in the streets.
17 Haue thou aloone `tho watris; and aliens be not thi parceneris.
Hold them for yourself alone, and do not let strangers be partakers with you.
18 Thi veyne be blessid; and be thou glad with the womman of thi yong wexynge age.
Let your spring be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth:
19 An hynde moost dereworthe; and an hert calf moost acceptable. Hir teetis fille thee in al tyme; and delite thou contynueli in the loue of hir.
a beloved doe and most pleasing fawn. Let her breasts inebriate you at all times. Be delighted continually by her love.
20 Mi sone, whi art thou disseyued of an alien womman; and art fostrid in the bosum of an othere?
Why are you seduced, my son, by a strange woman, and why are you kept warm by the bosom of another?
21 The Lord seeth the weie of a man; and biholdith alle hise steppis.
The Lord beholds the ways of man, and he considers all his steps.
22 The wickidnessis of a wyckid man taken hym; and he is boundun with the roopis of hise synnes.
His own iniquities take hold of the impious, and he is bound by the cords of his own sins.
23 He schal die, for he hadde not lernyng; and he schal be disseyued in the mychilnesse of his fooli.
He shall die, for he has not held to discipline. And by the multitude of his foolishness, he shall be deceived.
