Proverbs 27
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.
Haue thou not glorie on the morewe, `not knowynge what thing the dai to comynge schal bringe forth.
2 Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.
Another man, and not thi mouth preise thee; a straunger, and not thi lippis `preise thee.
3 A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both.
A stoon is heuy, and grauel is chariouse; but the ire of a fool is heuyere than euer eithir.
4 Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who standeth before jealousy?
Ire hath no merci, and woodnesse brekynge out `hath no merci; and who mai suffre the fersnesse of a spirit stirid?
5 Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
Betere is opyn repreuyng, than loue hid.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a lover, And abundant the kisses of an enemy.
Betere ben the woundis of hym that loueth, than the gileful cossis of hym that hatith.
7 A satiated soul treadeth down a honeycomb, And [to] a hungry soul every bitter thing [is] sweet.
A man fillid schal dispise an hony coomb; but an hungri man schal take, yhe, bittir thing for swete.
8 As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
As a brid passinge ouer fro his nest, so is a man that forsakith his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one's friend — from counsel of the soul.
The herte delitith in oynement, and dyuerse odours; and a soule is maad swete bi the good counsels of a frend.
10 Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better [is] a near neighbour than a brother afar off.
Forsake thou not thi frend, and the frend of thi fadir; and entre thou not in to the hous of thi brothir, in the dai of thi turment. Betere is a neiybore nyy, than a brothir afer.
11 Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.
Mi sone, studie thou a boute wisdom, and make thou glad myn herte; that thou maist answere a word to a dispisere.
12 The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
A fel man seynge yuel was hid; litle men of wit passinge forth suffriden harmes.
13 Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.
Take thou awei his clooth, that bihiyte for a straunger; and take thou awei a wed fro hym for an alien man.
14 Whoso is saluting his friend with a loud voice, In the morning rising early, A light thing it is reckoned to him.
He that blessith his neiybore with greet vois; and risith bi niyt, schal be lijk hym that cursith.
15 A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
Roouys droppynge in the dai of coold, and a womman ful of chidyng ben comparisond.
16 Whoso is hiding her hath hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calleth out.
He that withholdith hir, as if he holdith wynd; and auoidith the oile of his riyt hond.
17 Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
Yrun is whettid bi irun; and a man whettith the face of his frend.
18 The keeper of a fig-tree eateth its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honoured.
He that kepith a fige tre, schal ete the fruytis therof; and he that is a kepere of his lord, schal be glorified.
19 As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
As the cheris of men biholdinge schynen in watris; so the hertis of men ben opyn to prudent men.
Helle and perdicioun schulen not be fillid; so and the iyen of men moun not be fillid. (Sheol h7585)
21 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
As siluer is preuyd in a wellyng place, and gold `is preued in a furneys; so a man is preued bi the mouth of preyseris. The herte of a wickid man sekith out yuels; but a riytful herte sekith out kunnyng.
22 If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things — with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.
Thouy thou beetist a fool in a morter, as with a pestel smytynge aboue dried barli; his foli schal not be don awei fro him.
23 Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,
Knowe thou diligentli the cheere of thi beeste; and biholde thou thi flockis.
24 For riches [are] not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
For thou schalt not haue power contynueli; but a coroun schal be youun to thee in generacioun and in to generacioun.
25 Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.
Medewis ben openyd, and greene eerbis apperiden; and hey is gaderid fro hillis.
26 Lambs [are] for thy clothing, And the price of the field [are] he-goats,
Lambren be to thi clothing; and kidis be to the prijs of feeld.
27 And a sufficiency of goats' milk [is] for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!
The mylke of geete suffice to thee for thi meetis; in to the necessarie thingis of thin hous, and to lijflode to thin handmaidis.
