Provérbios 22

¹ Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.

² A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.

³ A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.

⁴ The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.

⁵ Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.

⁶ It is a prouerbe, A yong wexynge man bisidis his weie, and whanne he hath wexe elde, he schal not go awei fro it.

⁷ A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.

⁸ He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.

⁹ He that is redi to merci, schal be blessid; for of his looues he yaf to a pore man. He that yyueth yiftis, schal gete victorie and onour; forsothe he takith awei the soule of the takeris.

¹⁰ Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.

¹¹ He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.

¹² The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.

¹³ A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.

¹⁴ The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.

¹⁵ Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.

¹⁶ He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.

¹⁷ My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.

¹⁸ That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.

¹⁹ That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.

²⁰ Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,

²¹ that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.

²² Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.

²³ For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.

²⁴ Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;

²⁵ lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.

²⁶ Nyle thou be with hem that oblischen her hondis, and that proferen hem silf borewis for dettis; for if he hath not wherof he schal restore,

²⁷ what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?

²⁸ Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.

²⁹ Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.