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[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.
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