Song of Solomon 6

¹ And if ony man hath maistri ayens oon, tweyne ayen stonden hym; a threfolde corde is brokun of hard. ² A pore man and wijs is betere than an eld kyng and fool, that kan not bifore se in to tyme to comynge. ³ For sum tyme a man goith out bothe fro prysoun and chaynes to a rewme; and anothir borun in to a rewme is wastid bi nedynesse. ⁴ I siy alle men lyuynge that goen vndur the sunne, with the secounde yong wexynge man, that schal rise for hym. ⁵ The noumbre of puple, of alle that weren bifore hym, is greet with outen mesure, and thei that schulen come aftirward, schulen not be glad in hym; but also this is vanyte and turment of the spirit. ⁶ Thou that entrist in to the hous of God, kepe thi foot, and neiye thou for to here; for whi myche betere is obedience than the sacrifices of foolis, that witen not what yuel thei don. ⁸ Speke thou not ony thing folily, nether thin herte be swift to brynge forth a word bifore God; for God is in heuene, and thou art on erthe, therfor thi wordis be fewe. ⁹ Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis. ¹⁰ If thou hast avowid ony thing to God, tarie thou not to yelde; for an vnfeithful and fonned biheest displesith hym; but `yelde thou what euer thing thou hast avowid; ¹¹ and it is myche betere to make not a vowe, than aftir a vowe to yelde not biheestis. ¹² Yyue thou not thi mouth, that thou make thi fleisch to do synne; nether seie thou bifor an aungel, No puruyaunce is; lest perauenture the Lord be wrooth on thi wordis, and distruye alle the werkis of thin hondis. ¹³ Where ben many dremes, ben ful many vanytees, and wordis with out noumbre; but drede thou God.