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CAP 3
1 Mi sone, foryete thou not my lawe; and thyn herte kepe my comaundementis.
2 For tho schulen sette to thee the lengthe of daies, and the yeeris of lijf, and pees.
3 Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
4 And thou schalt fynde grace, and good teching bifore God and men.
5 Haue thou trist in the Lord, of al thin herte; and triste thou not to thi prudence.
6 In alle thi weies thenke thou on hym, and he schal dresse thi goyngis.
7 Be thou not wijs anentis thi silf; drede thou God, and go awei fro yuel.
8 For whi helthe schal be in thi nawle, and moisting of thi boonys.
9 Onoure thou the Lord of thi catel, and of the beste of alle thi fruytis yyue thou to pore men;
10 and thi bernes schulen be fillid with abundaunce, and pressours schulen flowe with wiyn.
11 My sone, caste thou not awei the teching of the Lord; and faile thou not, whanne thou art chastisid of him.
12 For the Lord chastisith hym, whom he loueth; and as a fadir in the sone he plesith hym.
13 Blessid is the man that fyndith wisdom, and which flowith with prudence.
14 The geting therof is betere than the marchaundie of gold and of siluer; the fruytis therof ben the firste and clenneste.
15 It is preciousere than alle richessis; and alle thingis that ben desirid, moun not be comparisound to this.
16 Lengthe of daies is in the riythalf therof, and richessis and glorie ben in the lifthalf therof.
17 The weies therof ben feire weies, and alle the pathis therof ben pesible.
18 It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.
19 The Lord foundide the erthe bi wisdom; he stablischide heuenes bi prudence.
20 The depthis of watris braken out bi his wisdom; and cloudis wexen togidere bi dewe.
21 My sone, these thingis flete not awey fro thin iyen; kepe thou my lawe, and my counsel;
22 and lijf schal be to thi soule, and grace `schal be to thi chekis.
23 Thanne thou schalt go tristili in thi weie; and thi foot schal not snapere.
24 If thou schalt slepe, thou schalt not drede; thou schalt reste, and thi sleep schal be soft.
25 Drede thou not bi sudeyne feer, and the powers of wickid men fallynge in on thee.
26 For the Lord schal be at thi side; and he schal kepe thi foot, that thou be not takun.
27 Nil thou forbede to do wel him that mai; if thou maist, and do thou wel.
28 Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.
29 Ymagyne thou not yuel to thi freend, whanne he hath trist in thee.
30 Stryue thou not ayens a man with out cause, whanne he doith noon yuel to thee.
31 Sue thou not an vniust man, sue thou not hise weies.
32 For ech disseyuer is abhomynacioun of the Lord; and his speking is with simple men.
33 Nedinesse is sent of the Lord in the hous of a wickid man; but the dwelling places of iust men schulen be blessid.
34 He schal scorne scorneris; and he schal yyue grace to mylde men.
35 Wise men schulen haue glorie; enhaunsing of foolis is schenschipe.