Proverbs 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
In the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she standeth;
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:
4 ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men.
Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men.
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
O ye simple, understand subtilty; and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
Hear, for I will speak excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
For my mouth shall utter truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
10 Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice 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 rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto her.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
I wisdom have made subtilty my dwelling, and find out knowledge [and] discretion.
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 to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might.
15 Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
By me princes rule, and nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth.
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
I love them that love me; and those that seek me diligently shall find me.
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
Riches and honour are with me; [yea], durable riches 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, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, and that I may fill their treasuries.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever 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 were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of 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 established the heavens, I was there: when he set a circle upon the face of the deep:
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
When he made firm the sides above: when the fountains of the deep became strong:
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 gave to the sea its bound, that the waters should not transgress his commandment: when he marked out 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 I was by him, [as] a master workman: and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him;
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
Rejoicing in his habitable earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
Hear instruction, and be 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 me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour 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 wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
