Proverbs 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
Doth not, wisdom, cry aloud? and, understanding, send forth her voice?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
At the top of the high places above the way, at the place where paths meet, she taketh her stand:
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
Beside the gates, at the entrance of the city, —at the going in of the openings, she shouteth: —
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 unto the sons of men;
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
Understand, ye simple ones, shrewdness, and, ye dullards understand sense;
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
Hear, for, princely things, will I speak, and the opening of my lips shall be of equity;
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
For, faithfulness, shall my mouth softly utter, but, the abomination of my lips, shall be lawlessness;
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
In righteousness, shall be all the sayings of my mouth, nothing therein, shall be crafty or perverse;
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge.
10 Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
Receive my correction, and not silver, and knowledge, rather than choicest gold.
11 For wisdom is betere than alle richessis moost preciouse; and al desirable thing mai not be comparisound therto.
For better is wisdom, than ornaments of coral, and, no delightful things, can equal her.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
I, wisdom, inhabit shrewdness, —and, the knowledge of sagacious things, I gain.
13 The drede of the Lord hatith yuel; Y curse boost, and pride, and a schrewid weie, and a double tungid mouth.
The reverence of Yahweh, is to hate wickedness: pride, arrogance, and the way of wickedness; And a mouth of perverse things, do I hate.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
Mine, are counsel, and effective working, I, am understanding, mine, is valour:
15 Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness;
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
By me, rulers govern, and nobles—all the righteous judges:
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
I love, them who love me, and, they who diligently seek me, find me:
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
Riches and honour, are with me, lordly wealth, and righteousness;
19 My fruyt is betere than gold, and precyouse stoon; and my seedis ben betere than chosun siluer.
Better is my fruit, than gold—yea fine gold, and mine increase, than choice silver;
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
In the way of righteousness, I march along, in the middle of the paths of justice:
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
Yahweh, had constituted me the beginning of his way, before his works, at the commencement of that time;
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
At the outset of the ages, had I been established, in advance of the antiquities of 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 was no resounding deep, I had been 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.
Ere yet the mountains had been settled, before the hills, had I been brought forth;
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
Or ever he had made the land and the wastes, or the top of the dry parts 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 prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep;
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed 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 fixed for the sea its bound, that, the waters, should not go beyond his bidding, when he decreed 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 became I beside him, a firm and sure worker, then became I filled with delight, day by day, exulting before him on every occasion;
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
Exulting in the fruitful land of his earth, Yea, my fulness of delight, was with the sons of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard!
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect.
34 Blessid is the man that herith me, and that wakith at my yatis al dai; and kepith at the postis of my dore.
How happy the man that doth hearken to me, —keeping guard at my doors, day by day, watching at the posts of my gates;
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
For, he that findeth me, findeth life, and hath obtained favour from Yahweh;
36 But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.
But, he that misseth me, wrongeth his own soul, all who hate me, love death.
