Proverbs 24
1 Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them:
Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem.
2 For the purposes of their hearts are destruction, and their lips are talking of trouble.
For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis.
3 The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:
An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence.
4 And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.
Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair.
5 A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater.
A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti.
6 For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.
For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.
7 Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.
Wisdom is hiy to a fool; in the yate he schal not opene his mouth.
8 He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs.
He that thenkith to do yuels, schal be clepid a fool.
9 The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.
The thouyte of a fool is synne; and a bacbitere is abhomynacioun of men.
10 If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small.
If thou that hast slide, dispeirist in the dai of angwisch, thi strengthe schal be maad lesse.
11 Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction.
Delyuere thou hem, that ben led to deth; and ceesse thou not to delyuere hem, that ben drawun to deth.
12 If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?
If thou seist, Strengthis suffisen not; he that is biholdere of the herte, vndirstondith, and no thing disseyueth the kepere of thi soule, and he schal yelde to a man bi hise werkis.
13 My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:
Mi sone, ete thou hony, for it is good; and an honycomb ful swete to thi throte.
14 So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
`So and the techyng of wisdom is good to thi soule; and whanne thou hast founde it, thou schalt haue hope in the laste thingis, and thin hope schal not perische.
15 Do not keep a secret watch, O evil-doer, against the fields of the upright man, or send destruction on his resting-place:
Aspie thou not, and seke not wickidnesse in the hous of a iust man, nether waste thou his reste.
16 For an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again: but trouble is the downfall of the evil.
For a iust man schal falle seuene sithis in the dai, and schal rise ayen; but wickid men schulen falle in to yuele.
17 Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:
Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;
18 For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.
lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.
19 Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners:
Stryue thou not with `the worste men, nether sue thou wickid men.
20 For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.
For whi yuele men han not hope of thingis to comynge, and the lanterne of wickid men schal be quenchid.
21 My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:
My sone, drede thou God, and the kyng; and be thou not medlid with bacbiteris.
22 For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?
For her perdicioun schal rise togidere sudenli, and who knowith the fal of euer either?
23 These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good.
Also these thingis that suen ben to wise men. It is not good to knowe a persoone in doom.
24 He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.
Puplis schulen curse hem, that seien to a wickid man, Thou art iust; and lynagis schulen holde hem abhomynable.
25 But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.
Thei that repreuen iustli synners, schulen be preisid; and blessing schal come on hem.
26 He gives a kiss with his lips who gives a right answer.
He that answerith riytful wordis, schal kisse lippis.
27 Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.
Make redi thi werk with outforth, and worche thi feelde dilygentli, that thou bilde thin hous aftirward.
28 Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.
Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis.
29 Say not, I will do to him as he has done to me; I will give the man the reward of his work.
Seie thou not, As he dide to me, so Y schal do to him, and Y schal yelde to ech man aftir his werk.
30 I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
31 And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.
nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried.
32 Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.
And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng.
33 A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:
Hou longe slepist thou, slow man? whanne schalt thou ryse fro sleep? Sotheli thou schalt slepe a litil, thou schalt nappe a litil, thou schalt ioyne togidere the hondis a litil, to take reste;
34 So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.
and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man.
