Proverbs 17
1 Better [is] a dry morsel, and rest with it, Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.
Betere is a drie mussel with ioye, than an hous ful of sacrifices with chidyng.
2 A wise servant ruleth over a son causing shame, And in the midst of brethren He apportioneth an inheritance.
A wijs seruaunt schal be lord of fonned sones; and he schal departe eritage among britheren.
3 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And the trier of hearts [is] Jehovah.
As siluer is preued bi fier, and gold is preued bi a chymnei, so the Lord preueth hertis.
4 An evil doer is attentive to lips of vanity, Falsehood is giving ear to a mischievous tongue.
An yuel man obeieth to a wickid tunge; and a fals man obeieth to false lippis.
5 Whoso is mocking at the poor Hath reproached his Maker, Whoso is rejoicing at calamity is not acquitted.
He that dispisith a pore man, repreueth his maker; and he that is glad in the fallyng of another man, schal not be vnpunyschid.
6 Sons' sons [are] the crown of old men, And the glory of sons [are] their fathers.
The coroun of elde men is the sones of sones; and the glorie of sones is the fadris of hem.
7 Not comely for a fool is a lip of excellency, Much less for a noble a lip of falsehood.
Wordis wel set togidere bisemen not a fool; and a liynge lippe bicometh not a prince.
8 A stone of grace [is] the bribe in the eyes of its possessors, Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
A preciouse stoon moost acceptable is the abiding of hym that sekith; whidur euere he turneth hym silf, he vndurstondith prudentli.
9 Whoso is covering transgression is seeking love, And whoso is repeating a matter Is separating a familiar friend.
He that helith trespas, sekith frenschipis; he that rehersith bi an hiy word, departith hem, that ben knyt togidere in pees.
10 Rebuke cometh down on the intelligent More than a hundred stripes on a fool.
A blamyng profitith more at a prudent man, than an hundryd woundis at a fool.
11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion, And a fierce messenger is sent against him.
Euere an yuel man sekith stryues; forsothe a cruel aungel schal be sent ayens hym.
12 The meeting of a bereaved bear by a man, And — not a fool in his folly.
It spedith more to meete a femal bere, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid, than a fool tristynge to hym silf in his foli.
13 Whoso is returning evil for good, Evil moveth not from his house.
Yuel schal not go a wei fro the hous of hym, that yeldith yuels for goodis.
14 The beginning of contention [is] a letting out of waters, And before it is meddled with leave the strife.
He that leeueth watir, is heed of stryues; and bifor that he suffrith wrong, he forsakith dom.
15 Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these [are] an abomination to Jehovah.
Bothe he that iustifieth a wickid man, and he that condempneth a iust man, euer ethir is abhomynable at God.
16 Why [is] this — a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, And a heart there is none?
What profitith it to a fool to haue richessis, sithen he mai not bie wisdom? He that makith his hous hiy, sekith falling; and he that eschewith to lerne, schal falle in to yuels.
17 At all times is the friend loving, And a brother for adversity is born.
He that is a frend, loueth in al tyme; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.
18 A man lacking heart is striking hands, A surety he becometh before his friend.
A fonned man schal make ioie with hondis, whanne he hath bihiyt for his frend.
19 Whoso is loving transgression is loving debate, Whoso is making high his entrance is seeking destruction.
He that bithenkith discordis, loueth chidingis; and he that enhaunsith his mouth, sekith fallyng.
20 The perverse of heart findeth not good, And the turned in his tongue falleth into evil.
He that is of weiward herte, schal not fynde good; and he that turneth the tunge, schal falle in to yuel.
21 Whoso is begetting a fool hath affliction for it, Yea, the father of a fool rejoiceth not.
A fool is borun in his schenschipe; but nether the fadir schal be glad in a fool.
22 A rejoicing heart doth good to the body, And a smitten spirit drieth the bone.
A ioiful soule makith likinge age; a sorewful spirit makith drie boonys.
23 A bribe from the bosom the wicked taketh, To turn aside the paths of judgment.
A wickid man takith yiftis fro the bosum, to mys turne the pathis of doom.
24 The face of the intelligent [is] to wisdom, And the eyes of a fool — at the end of the earth.
Wisdom schyneth in the face of a prudent man; the iyen of foolis ben in the endis of erthe.
25 A provocation to his father [is] a foolish son, And bitterness to her that bare him.
A fonned sone is the ire of the fadir, and the sorewe of the modir that gendride hym.
26 Also, to fine the righteous is not good, To smite nobles for uprightness.
It is not good to brynge in harm to a iust man; nether to smyte the prince that demeth riytfuli.
27 One acquainted with knowledge is sparing his words, And the cool of temper [is] a man of understanding.
He that mesurith his wordis, is wijs and prudent; and a lerud man is of preciouse spirit.
28 Even a fool keeping silence is reckoned wise, He who is shutting his lips intelligent!
Also a foole, if he is stille, schal be gessid a wijs man; and, if he pressith togidre hise lippis, he `schal be gessid an vndurstondynge man.
