Great(i)
1 The prouerbes of Salomon, the sonne of Dauid kynge of Israel:
2 to learne wisdome, & to perceaue the instruccyon, and to perceaue the wordes of vnderstondynge: & therby to receaue prudence,
3 ryghteousnes, iudgement and equite.
4 That the very simple myght haue wyt, and that the yonge men myght haue knowledge and true vnderstanding.
5 By hearing the wise man shall come by more wysedome: and he that is endewed wt vnderstanding
6 shal optayn wit to perceaue a parable, & the interpretacyon therof, the wordes of the wyse, & the darcke speaches of the same.
7 The feare of the Lorde is the begynnyng of wysdome. But fooles despyse wysdome & instruccion.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers doctrine: & forsake not the lawe of thy mother:
9 for that shall bringe grace vnto thy heed, and shalbe as a cheyne about thy neck.
10 My sonne, consente not vnto synners,
11 yf they entise the, & saye: come with vs, we will laye wayte for bloude, & lurcke preuely for the innocent without a cause:
12 we shall swalowe then vp lyke the hell, & deuoure them quycke and hole, as those that go downe into the pyt.
13 So shall we fynde all maner of costelye ryches, & fill our houses wt spoyles.
14 Cast in thy lot among vs: & let vs haue all one purse.
15 My sonne, walke not thou with them: refrayne thy fote from their waye.
16 For their fete runne to euell: & are hasty to shed bloud.
17 But in vayn is the net laied forth before the byrdes eyes:
18 yee they them selues laye wayte one for anothers bloud & one of them wold sleye another.
19 These are the wayes of all soch as be couetous, the one wold rauysh anothers lyfe.
20 Wisdome cryeth wtout, & putteth forth her voyce in the stretes.
21 She calleth before the congregacyon in the open gates, & sheweth her wordes thorow the citye, saying:
22 O ye children, how longe wyll ye loue childesshnes? how longe wyll the scorners delyte in scorning, & the vnwyse be enemyes vnto knowledge?
23 O turne you vnto my correccion: lo, I wyll expresse my mynde vnto you, & make you vnderstande my wordes.
24 I haue called, & ye refused it: I haue stretched out my hande: & no man regarded it:
25 but all my councels haue ye despised: & set my correccion at naught.
26 Therfore shall I also laugh in youre destruccion, & mocke you, when that thinge that ye feare commeth vpon you:
27 euen when the thynge that ye be afrayed of, falleth in sodenly lyke a storme, & your misery lyke a tempest: yee, when trouble & heuines commeth vpon you.
28 Then shal they call vpon me, but I wyll not heare: they shall seke me early, but they shall not fynde me.
29 And that because they hated knowledge, & receaued not the feare of the Lorde:
30 but abhorred my councell, and despysed all my correccion.
31 Therfore shall they eate the frutes of theyr awne waye, & be filled with their awne inuencions:
32 for the turnynge awaye of the vnwyse shall sleye them, and the prosperytie of fooles shalbe their awne destruccyon.
33 But whoso harkneth vnto me, shall dwell safely, and be sure from any feare of euyll.