Proverbs 23

¹Whanne thou sittist, to ete with the prince, perseyue thou diligentli what thingis ben set bifore thi face,

²and sette thou a withholding in thi throte. If netheles thou hast power on thi soule,

³desire thou not of his metis, in whom is the breed of `a leesing.

⁴Nyle thou trauele to be maad riche, but sette thou mesure to thi prudence.

⁵Reise not thin iyen to richessis, whiche thou maist not haue; for tho schulen make to hem silf pennes, as of an egle, and tho schulen flee in to heuene.

⁶Ete thou not with an enuyouse man, and desire thou not hise metis;

⁷for at the licnesse of a fals dyuynour and of a coniectere, he gessith that, that he knowith not. He schal seie to thee, Ete thou and drinke; and his soule is not with thee.

⁸Thou schalt brake out the metis, whiche thou hast ete; and thou schalt leese thi faire wordis.

⁹Speke thou not in the eeris of vnwise men; for thei schulen dispise the teching of thi speche.

¹⁰Touche thou not the termes of litle children; and entre thou not in to the feeld of fadirles and modirles children.

¹¹For the neiybore of hem is strong, and he schal deme her cause ayens thee.

¹²Thin herte entre to techyng, and thin eeris `be redi to the wordis of kunnyng.

¹³Nile thou withdrawe chastisyng fro a child; for thouy thou smyte hym with a yerde, he schal not die.

¹⁴Thou schalt smyte hym with a yerde, and thou schalt delyuere his soule fro helle.

¹⁵Mi sone, if thi soule is wijs, myn herte schal haue ioye with thee;

¹⁶and my reynes schulen make ful out ioye, whanne thi lippis speken riytful thing.

¹⁷Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai.

¹⁸For thou schalt haue hope at the laste, and thin abidyng schal not be don awei.

¹⁹Mi sone, here thou, and be thou wijs, and dresse thi soule in the weie.

²⁰Nyle thou be in the feestis of drinkeris, nether in the ofte etyngis of hem, that bryngen togidere fleischis to ete.

²¹For men yyuynge tent to drinkis, and yyuyng mussels togidere, schulen be waastid, and napping schal be clothid with clothis.

²²Here thi fadir, that gendride thee; and dispise not thi modir, whanne sche is eld.

²³Bie thou treuthe, and nyle thou sille wisdom, and doctryn, and vndurstonding.

²⁴The fadir of a iust man ioieth ful out with ioie; he that gendride a wijs man, schal be glad in hym.

²⁵Thi fadir and thi modir haue ioye, and he that gendride thee, make ful out ioye.

²⁶My sone, yyue thin herte to me, and thin iyen kepe my weyes.

²⁷For an hoore is a deep diche, and an alien womman is a streit pit.

²⁸Sche settith aspie in the weie, as a theef; and sche schal sle hem, whiche sche schal se vnwar.

²⁹To 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?

³⁰Whether not to hem, that dwellen in wyn, and studien to drynke al of cuppis?

³¹Biholde thou not wyn, whanne it sparclith, whanne the colour therof schyneth in a ver.

³²It entrith swetli, but at the laste it schal bite as an eddre doith, and as a cocatrice it schal schede abrood venyms.

³³Thin iyen schulen se straunge wymmen, and thi herte schal speke weiwerd thingis.

³⁴And thou schalt be as a man slepinge in the myddis of the see, and as a gouernour aslepid, whanne the steere is lost.

³⁵And 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?

Proverbs 23

¹When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

²And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

³Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

⁴Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

⁵Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

⁶Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

⁷For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

⁸The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

⁹Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹⁰Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

¹¹For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

¹²Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

¹³Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

¹⁴Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

¹⁵My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

¹⁶Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

¹⁷Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

¹⁸For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

¹⁹Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

²⁰Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

²²Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

²³Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

²⁴The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

²⁵Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

²⁸She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

²⁹Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

³⁰They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

³¹Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

³²At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

³³Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

³⁴Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

³⁵They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.