Proverbs 31

¹ Thin herte entre to techyng, and thin eeris `be redi to the wordis of kunnyng. ² Nile thou withdrawe chastisyng fro a child; for thouy thou smyte hym with a yerde, he schal not die. ³ Thou schalt smyte hym with a yerde, and thou schalt delyuere his soule fro helle. ⁴ Mi sone, if thi soule is wijs, myn herte schal haue ioye with thee; ⁵ and my reynes schulen make ful out ioye, whanne thi lippis speken riytful thing. ⁶ Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai. ⁷ For thou schalt haue hope at the laste, and thin abidyng schal not be don awei. ⁸ Mi sone, here thou, and be thou wijs, and dresse thi soule in the weie. ⁹ Nyle thou be in the feestis of drinkeris, nether in the ofte etyngis of hem, that bryngen togidere fleischis to ete. ¹⁰ For men yyuynge tent to drinkis, and yyuyng mussels togidere, schulen be waastid, and napping schal be clothid with clothis. ¹¹ Here thi fadir, that gendride thee; and dispise not thi modir, whanne sche is eld. ¹² Bie thou treuthe, and nyle thou sille wisdom, and doctryn, and vndurstonding. ¹³ The fadir of a iust man ioieth ful out with ioie; he that gendride a wijs man, schal be glad in hym. ¹⁴ Thi fadir and thi modir haue ioye, and he that gendride thee, make ful out ioye. ¹⁵ My sone, yyue thin herte to me, and thin iyen kepe my weyes. ¹⁶ For an hoore is a deep diche, and an alien womman is a streit pit. ¹⁷ Sche settith aspie in the weie, as a theef; and sche schal sle hem, whiche sche schal se vnwar. ¹⁸ To whom is wo? to whos fadir is wo? to whom ben chidingis? to whom ben dichis? to whom ben woundis with out cause? to whom is puttyng out of iyen? ¹⁹ Whether not to hem, that dwellen in wyn, and studien to drynke al of cuppis? ²⁰ Biholde thou not wyn, whanne it sparclith, whanne the colour therof schyneth in a ver. ²¹ It entrith swetli, but at the laste it schal bite as an eddre doith, and as a cocatrice it schal schede abrood venyms. ²² Thin iyen schulen se straunge wymmen, and thi herte schal speke weiwerd thingis. ²³ And thou schalt be as a man slepinge in the myddis of the see, and as a gouernour aslepid, whanne the steere is lost. ²⁴ And thou schalt seie, Thei beeten me, but Y hadde not sorewe; thei drowen me, and Y feelide not; whanne schal Y wake out, and Y schal fynde wynes eft? ²⁶ Sue thou not yuele men, desire thou not to be with hem. ²⁷ For the soule of hem bithenkith raueyns, and her lippis speken fraudis. ²⁸ An hous schal be bildid bi wisdom, and schal be maad strong bi prudence. ²⁹ Celeris schulen be fillid in teching, al riches preciouse and ful fair. ³⁰ A wijs man is strong, and a lerned man is stalworth and miyti. ³¹ For whi batel is bigunnun with ordenaunce, and helthe schal be, where many counsels ben.