Proverbs 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
Is not wisdom crying out, and the voice of knowledge sounding?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
At the top of the highways, at the meeting of the roads, she takes her place;
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:
4 ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men.
I am crying out to you, O men; my voice comes to the sons of men.
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
All the words of my mouth are righteousness; there is nothing false or twisted in them.
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.
10 Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
Take my teaching, and not silver; get knowledge in place of the best gold.
11 For wisdom is betere than alle richessis moost preciouse; and al desirable thing mai not be comparisound therto.
For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
I, wisdom, have made wise behaviour my near relation; I am seen to be the special friend of wise purposes.
13 The drede of the Lord hatith yuel; Y curse boost, and pride, and a schrewid weie, and a double tungid mouth.
The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
Wise design and good sense are mine; reason and strength are mine.
15 Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions.
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
Those who have given me their love are loved by me, and those who make search for me with care will get me.
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
Wealth and honour are in my hands, even wealth without equal and righteousness.
19 My fruyt is betere than gold, and precyouse stoon; and my seedis ben betere than chosun siluer.
My fruit is better than gold, even than the best gold; and my increase is more to be desired than silver.
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
I go in the road of righteousness, in the way of right judging:
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
So that I may give my lovers wealth for their heritage, making their store-houses full.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
The Lord made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past.
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
From eternal days I was given my place, from the birth of time, before the earth was.
24 Depthis of watris weren not yit; and Y was conseyued thanne. The wellis of watris hadden not brokun out yit,
When there was no deep I was given birth, when there were no fountains flowing with water.
25 and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
Before the mountains were put in their places, before the hills was my birth:
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
When he had not made the earth or the fields or the dust of the world.
27 Whanne he made redi heuenes, Y was present; whanne he cumpasside the depthis of watris bi certeyn lawe and cumpas.
When he made ready the heavens I was there: when he put an arch over the face of the deep:
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
When he made strong the skies overhead: when the fountains of the deep were fixed:
29 Whanne he cumpasside to the see his marke; and settide lawe to watris, that tho schulden not passe her coostis. Whanne he peiside the foundementis of erthe;
When he put a limit to the sea, so that the waters might not go against his word: when he put in position the bases of the earth:
30 Y was making alle thingis with him. And Y delitide bi alle daies, and pleiede bifore hym in al tyme,
Then I was by his side, as a master workman: and I was his delight from day to day, playing before him at all times;
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
Playing in his earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
Give ear to me then, my sons: for happy are those who keep my ways.
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go.
34 Blessid is the man that herith me, and that wakith at my yatis al dai; and kepith at the postis of my dore.
Happy is the man who gives ear to me, watching at my doors day by day, keeping his place by the pillars of my house.
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
For whoever gets me gets life, and grace from the Lord will come to him.
36 But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.
But he who does evil to me, does wrong to his soul: all my haters are in love with death.
