Proverbs 6
1 Mi sone, if thou hast bihiyt for thi freend; thou hast fastned thin hoond at a straunger.
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, [if] thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art boundun bi the wordis of thi mouth; and thou art takun with thin owne wordis.
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
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 now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 yyue thou not sleep to thin iyen, nether thin iyeliddis nappe.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Be thou rauyschid as a doo fro the hond; and as a bridde fro aspiyngis of the foulere.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 O! thou slowe man, go to the `amte, ether pissemyre; and biholde thou hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which whanne he hath no duyk, nethir comaundour, nether prince;
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 makith redi in somer mete to hym silf, and gaderith togidere in heruest that, that he schal ete.
Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 Hou long schalt thou, slow man, slepe? whanne schalt thou rise fro thi sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A litil thou schalt slepe, a litil thou schalt nappe; a litil thou schalt ioyne togidere thin hondis, that thou slepe.
[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to 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.
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A man apostata, a man vnprofitable, he goith with a weiward mouth;
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 he bekeneth with iyen, he trampith with the foot, he spekith with the fyngur,
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 bi schrewid herte he ymagyneth yuel, and in al tyme he sowith dissenciouns.
Frowardness [is] in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 His perdicioun schal come to hym anoon, and he schal be brokun sodeynli; and he schal no more haue medecyn.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 Sixe thingis ben, whyche the Lord hatith; and hise soule cursith the seuenthe thing.
These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
17 Hiye iyen, a tunge liere, hondis schedinge out innocent blood,
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 an herte ymagynynge worste thouytis, feet swifte to renne in to yuel,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 a man bringynge forth lesingis, a fals witnesse; and him that sowith discordis among britheren.
A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 Mi sone, kepe the comaundementis of thi fadir; and forsake not the lawe of thi modir.
My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bynde thou tho continueli in thin herte; and cumpasse `to thi throte.
Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck.
22 Whanne thou goist, go tho with thee; whanne thou slepist, kepe tho thee; and thou wakynge speke with tho.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
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 commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:
24 `that the comaundementis kepe thee fro an yuel womman, and fro a flaterynge tunge of a straunge womman.
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Thin herte coueite not the fairnesse of hir; nether be thou takun bi the signes of hir.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For the prijs of an hoore is vnnethe of o loof; but a womman takith the preciouse soule of a man.
For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Whether a man mai hide fier in his bosum, that hise clothis brenne not;
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 ethir go on colis, and hise feet be not brent?
Can one go upon hot 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 he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 It is not greet synne, whanne a man stelith; for he stelith to fille an hungri soule.
[Men] do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
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 be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But he that is avouter; schal leese his soule, for the pouert of herte.
[But] whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 He gaderith filthe, and sclaundrith to hym silf; and his schenschip schal not be don awei.
A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For the feruent loue and strong veniaunce of the man schal not spare in the dai of veniaunce,
For jealousy [is] the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 nether schal assente to the preieris of ony; nether schal take ful many yiftis for raunsum.
He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
