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?