Proverbs 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
Doth not wisedome crie? and vnderstanding vtter her voyce?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
She standeth in the top of the high places by the way in the place of the paths.
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
She cryeth besides the gates before the citie at the entrie of the doores,
4 ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men.
O men, I call vnto you, and vtter my voyce to the children of men.
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
O ye foolish men, vnderstand wisedome, and ye, O fooles, be wise in heart.
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
Giue eare, for I will speake of excellent things, and the opening of my lippes, shall teache things that be right.
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
For my mouth shall speake the trueth, and my lippes abhorre wickednesse.
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
All the wordes of my mouth are righteous: there is no lewdenes, nor frowardnesse in them.
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
They are all plaine to him that will vnderstande, and streight to them that woulde finde knowledge.
10 Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
Receiue mine instruction, and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde.
11 For wisdom is betere than alle richessis moost preciouse; and al desirable thing mai not be comparisound therto.
For wisdome is better then precious stones: and all pleasures are not to be compared vnto her.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
I wisdome dwell with prudence, and I find foorth knowledge and counsels.
13 The drede of the Lord hatith yuel; Y curse boost, and pride, and a schrewid weie, and a double tungid mouth.
The feare of the Lord is to hate euill as pride, and arrogancie, and the euill way: and a mouth that speaketh lewde things, I doe hate.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
I haue counsell and wisedome: I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.
15 Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
By me, Kings reigne, and princes decree iustice.
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
By me princes rule and the nobles, and all the iudges of the earth.
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
I loue them that loue me: and they that seeke me earely, shall finde me.
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
Riches and honour are with me: euen durable riches and righteousnesse.
19 My fruyt is betere than gold, and precyouse stoon; and my seedis ben betere than chosun siluer.
My fruite is better then golde, euen then fine golde, and my reuenues better then fine siluer.
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
I cause to walke in the way of righteousnes, and in the middes of the paths of iudgement,
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
That I may cause them that loue me, to inherite substance, and I will fill their treasures.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way: I was before his workes of olde.
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
I was set vp from euerlasting, from the beginning and before the earth.
24 Depthis of watris weren not yit; and Y was conseyued thanne. The wellis of watris hadden not brokun out yit,
When there were no depths, was I begotten, when there were no fountaines abounding with water.
25 and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
Before the mountaines were setled: and before the hilles, was I begotten.
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
He had not yet made the earth, nor the open places, nor the height of the dust in the worlde.
27 Whanne he made redi heuenes, Y was present; whanne he cumpasside the depthis of watris bi certeyn lawe and cumpas.
When hee prepared the heauens, I was there, when he set the compasse vpon the deepe.
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
When he established the cloudes aboue, when he confirmed the fountaines of the deepe,
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 gaue his decree to the Sea, that the waters shoulde not passe his commandement: when he appointed the foundations 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 was I with him as a nourisher, and I was dayly his delight reioycing alway before him,
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
And tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth: and my delite is with the children of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
Therefore nowe hearken, O children, vnto me: for blessed are they that keepe my wayes.
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
Heare instruction, and be ye wise, and refuse it not:
34 Blessid is the man that herith me, and that wakith at my yatis al dai; and kepith at the postis of my dore.
blessed is the man that heareth mee, watching dayly at my gates, and giuing attendance at the postes of my doores.
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
For he that findeth me, findeth life, and shall obteine fauour of the Lord.
36 But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.
But he that sinneth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and all that hate me, loue death.
