¶ When thou sittest at the table to eat with a lord, order thyself mannerly with the things
that are set before thee. Measure thine appetite:
and if thou wilt rule thy own self, be not over greedy of his meat, for meat beguileth and deceiveth.
¶ Take not over great travail and labour to be rich, beware of such a purpose.
Why wilt thou set thine eye upon the thing, which suddenly vanisheth away? For riches make themselves wings, and take their flight like an Aegle into the air.
¶ Eat not thou with the envious, and desire not his meat,
for he hath a marvelous heart. He sayeth unto thee: eat and drink, whereas his heart is not with thee.
Yea the morsels that thou hast eaten shalt thou perbreak and lese those sweet words.
¶ Tell nothing into the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
¶ Remove not the old landmark, and come not within the field of the fatherless.
For he that delivereth them is mighty, even he shall defend their cause against thee.
¶ Apply thine heart unto learning, and thine ear to the words of knowledge.
Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die thereof.
Thou smitest him with the rod, but thou deliverest his soul from hell.
My son, if thy heart receive wisdom, my heart also shall rejoice:
yea my reins shall be very glad, if thy lips speak the thing that is right.
¶ Let not thine heart be jealous to follow sinners, but keep thee still in the fear of the LORD all the day long:
For the end is not yet come and thy patient abiding shall not be in vain.
¶ My son, give ear and be wise, so shall thine heart prosper in the way.
Keep no company with winebibbers and riotous eaters of flesh:
for such as be drunkards and riotous shall come to poverty, and he that is given to much sleep, shall go with a ragged coat.
Give ear unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Labour for to get the truth: sell not away wisdom, nurture and understanding,
for a righteous father is marvelous glad of a wise son, and delighteth in him,
so shall thy father be glad, and thy mother that bare thee, shall rejoice.
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes have pleasure in my ways.
For an whore is a deep grave, and an harlot is a narrow pit.
She lurketh like a thief, and those that be not awarre she bringeth unto her.
¶ Where is woe? where is sorrow? where is strife? where is brawling? where are wounds without cause? where be reed eyes?
Even among those that be ever at the wine, and seek out where the best is.
Look not thou upon the wine, how red it is, and what a color it giveth in the glass.
It goeth down softly, but at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth as an adder.
So shall thine eyes look unto strange women, and thine heart shall muse upon froward things.
Yea thou shalt be as though thou slept in the middest of the sea, or on the top of the mast.
They wounded me (shalt thou say) but it hath not hurt me, they smote me, but I felt it not. When I am well awakened, I will go to the drink again.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.