Proverbs 6
1 Mi sone, if thou hast bihiyt for thi freend; thou hast fastned thin hoond at a straunger.
My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another,
2 Thou art boundun bi the wordis of thi mouth; and thou art takun with thin owne wordis.
You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.
3 Therfor, my sone, do thou that that Y seie, and delyuere thi silf; for thou hast fallun in to the hond of thi neiybore. Renne thou aboute, haste thou, reise thi freend;
Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.
4 yyue thou not sleep to thin iyen, nether thin iyeliddis nappe.
Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;
5 Be thou rauyschid as a doo fro the hond; and as a bridde fro aspiyngis of the foulere.
Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.
6 O! thou slowe man, go to the `amte, ether pissemyre; and biholde thou hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.
Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:
7 Which whanne he hath no duyk, nethir comaundour, nether prince;
Having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 makith redi in somer mete to hym silf, and gaderith togidere in heruest that, that he schal ete.
She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.
9 Hou long schalt thou, slow man, slepe? whanne schalt thou rise fro thi sleep?
How long will you be sleeping, O hater of work? when will you get up from your sleep?
10 A litil thou schalt slepe, a litil thou schalt nappe; a litil thou schalt ioyne togidere thin hondis, that thou slepe.
A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:
11 And nedynesse, as a weigoere, schal come to thee; and pouert, as an armed man. Forsothe if thou art not slow, thi ripe corn schal come as a welle; and nedynesse schal fle fer fro thee.
Then loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man
12 A man apostata, a man vnprofitable, he goith with a weiward mouth;
A good-for-nothing man is an evil-doer; he goes on his way causing trouble with false words;
13 he bekeneth with iyen, he trampith with the foot, he spekith with the fyngur,
Making signs with his eyes, rubbing with his feet, and giving news with his fingers;
14 bi schrewid herte he ymagyneth yuel, and in al tyme he sowith dissenciouns.
His mind is ever designing evil: he lets loose violent acts.
15 His perdicioun schal come to hym anoon, and he schal be brokun sodeynli; and he schal no more haue medecyn.
For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.
16 Sixe thingis ben, whyche the Lord hatith; and hise soule cursith the seuenthe thing.
Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:
17 Hiye iyen, a tunge liere, hondis schedinge out innocent blood,
Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;
18 an herte ymagynynge worste thouytis, feet swifte to renne in to yuel,
A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;
19 a man bringynge forth lesingis, a fals witnesse; and him that sowith discordis among britheren.
A false witness, breathing out untrue words, and one who lets loose violent acts among brothers.
20 Mi sone, kepe the comaundementis of thi fadir; and forsake not the lawe of thi modir.
My son, keep the rule of your father, and have in memory the teaching of your mother:
21 Bynde thou tho continueli in thin herte; and cumpasse `to thi throte.
Keep them ever folded in your heart, and have them hanging round your neck.
22 Whanne thou goist, go tho with thee; whanne thou slepist, kepe tho thee; and thou wakynge speke with tho.
In your walking, it will be your guide; when you are sleeping, it will keep watch over you; when you are awake, it will have talk with you.
23 For the comaundement of God is a lanterne, and the lawe is liyt, and the blamyng of techyng is the weie of lijf;
For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.
24 `that the comaundementis kepe thee fro an yuel womman, and fro a flaterynge tunge of a straunge womman.
They will keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the strange woman.
25 Thin herte coueite not the fairnesse of hir; nether be thou takun bi the signes of hir.
Let not your heart's desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.
26 For the prijs of an hoore is vnnethe of o loof; but a womman takith the preciouse soule of a man.
For a loose woman is looking for a cake of bread, but another man's wife goes after one's very life.
27 Whether a man mai hide fier in his bosum, that hise clothis brenne not;
May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?
28 ethir go on colis, and hise feet be not brent?
Or may one go on lighted coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that entrith to the wijf of his neiybore; schal not be cleene, whanne he hath touchid hir.
So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour's wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.
30 It is not greet synne, whanne a man stelith; for he stelith to fille an hungri soule.
Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:
31 And he takun schal yelde the seuenthe fold; and he schal yyue al the catel of his hous, and schal delyuere hym silf.
But if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house.
32 But he that is avouter; schal leese his soule, for the pouert of herte.
He who takes another man's wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.
33 He gaderith filthe, and sclaundrith to hym silf; and his schenschip schal not be don awei.
Wounds will be his and loss of honour, and his shame may not be washed away.
34 For the feruent loue and strong veniaunce of the man schal not spare in the dai of veniaunce,
For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.
35 nether schal assente to the preieris of ony; nether schal take ful many yiftis for raunsum.
He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.
