Proverbs 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, 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] unto the sons of men.
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness.
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding 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 better [is] wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.
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 Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
Mine [is] counsel and substance, 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 righteousness,
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance 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, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
Jehovah possessed me — the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.
24 Depthis of watris weren not yit; and Y was conseyued thanne. The wellis of watris hadden not brokun out yit,
In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
25 and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
27 Whanne he made redi heuenes, Y was present; whanne he cumpasside the depthis of watris bi certeyn lawe and cumpas.
In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
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;
In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,
30 Y was making alle thingis with him. And Y delitide bi alle daies, and pleiede bifore hym in al tyme,
Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight — day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight 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.
O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance.
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.
36 But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.
And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!
