Content

CAP 1
1 The parablis of Salomon, the sone of Dauid, king of Israel;
2 to kunne wisdom and kunnyng;
3 to vndurstonde the wordis of prudence; and to take the lernyng of teching; to take riytfulnesse, and dom, and equyte;
4 that felnesse be youun to litle children, and kunnyng, and vndurstonding to a yong wexynge man.
5 A wise man heringe schal be wisere; and a man vndurstondinge schal holde gouernails.
6 He schal perseyue a parable, and expownyng; the wordis of wise men, and the derk figuratif spechis of hem.
7 The drede of the Lord is the bigynning of wisdom; foolis dispisen wisdom and teching.
8 My sone, here thou the teching of thi fadir, and forsake thou not the lawe of thi modir;
9 that grace be addid, ethir encreessid, to thin heed, and a bie to thi necke.
10 Mi sone, if synneris flateren thee, assente thou not to hem.
11 If thei seien, Come thou with vs, sette we aspies to blood, hide we snaris of disseitis ayens an innocent without cause;
12 swolowe we him, as helle swolowith a man lyuynge; and al hool, as goynge doun in to a lake; we schulen fynde al preciouse catel,
13 we schulen fille oure housis with spuylis; sende thou lot with vs,
14 o purs be of vs alle;
15 my sone, go thou not with hem; forbede thi foot fro the pathis of hem.
16 For the feet of hem rennen to yuel; and thei hasten to schede out blood.
17 But a net is leid in veyn bifore the iyen of briddis, that han wengis.
18 Also `thilke wickid disseyueris setten aspies ayens her owne blood; and maken redi fraudis ayens her soulis.
19 So the pathis of ech auerouse man rauyschen the soulis of hem that welden.
20 Wisdom prechith with outforth; in stretis it yyueth his vois.
21 It crieth ofte in the heed of cumpenyes; in the leeues of yatis of the citee it bringith forth hise wordis,
22 and seith, Hou long, ye litle men in wit, louen yong childhod, and foolis schulen coueyte tho thingis, that ben harmful to hem silf, and vnprudent men schulen hate kunnyng?
23 Be ye conuertid at my repreuyng; lo, Y schal profre forth to you my spirit, and Y schal schewe my wordis.
24 For Y clepide, and ye forsoken; Y helde forth myn hond, and noon was that bihelde.
25 Ye dispisiden al my councel; and chargiden not my blamyngis.
26 And Y schal leiye in youre perisching; and Y schal scorne you, whanne that, that ye dreden, cometh to you.
27 Whanne sodeyne wretchidnesse fallith in, and perisching bifallith as tempest; whanne tribulacioun and angwisch cometh on you.
28 Thanne thei schulen clepe me, and Y schal not here; thei schulen rise eerli, and thei schulen not fynde me.
29 For thei hatiden teching, and thei token not the drede of the Lord,
30 nether assentiden to my councel, and depraueden al myn amendyng.
31 Therfor thei schulen ete the fruytis of her weie; and thei schulen be fillid with her counseils.
32 The turnyng awei of litle men in wit schal sle hem; and the prosperite of foolis schal leese hem.
33 But he that herith me, schal reste with outen drede; and he schal vse abundaunce, whanne the drede of yuels is takun awei.