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¹ My sonne, forget not my lawe, but se yt thine hert kepe my comaundemetes.² For they shal prologe ye dayes & yeares of yi lyfe, & brynge ye peace.³ Let mercy & faithfulnes neuer go from ye: bynde the about yi necke, & wryte them in the tables of thine herte.⁴ So shalt thou fynde fauor and good vnderstondinge in ye sight of God and men.⁵ Put thy trust in ye LORDE with all thine herte, and leane not vnto thine owne vnderstondinge.⁶ In all thy wayes haue respecte vnto him, and he shal ordre thy goinges.

⁷ Be not wyse in thine owne conceate, but feare ye LORDE and departe from euell:⁸ so shal thy nauel be whole, and thy bones stronge.⁹ Honoure the LORDE wt yi substaunce, & wt ye firstlinges of all thine encrease:¹⁰ so shal thy barnes be fylled with plenteousnesse, and thy presses shal flowe ouer with swete wyne.¹¹ My sonne, despyse not the chastenynge of ye LORDE, nether faynte when thou art rebuked of him.¹² For who the LORDE loueth, him he chasteneth: and yet delyteth in him euen as a father in his owne sonne.

¹³ Well is him that fyndeth wy?dome, & opteyneth vnderstondinge,¹⁴ for the gettinge of it is better then eny marchaundise of syluer, & the profit of it is better then golde.¹⁵ Wy?dome is more worth the precious stones, & all ye thinges yt thou canst desyre, are not to be compared vnto her.¹⁶ Vpon hir right hande is longe life, & vpon hir left hande is riches & honor.¹⁷ Hir wayes are pleasaunt wayes, and all hir pathes are peaceable.¹⁸ She is a tre of life to them that laye holde vpon her, and blessed are they that kepe her fast.¹⁹ With wy?dome hath ye LORDE layed the foudacion of ye earth, & thorow vnderstondinge hath he stablished ye heaues.²⁰ Thorow his wi?dome ye depthes breake vp, & ye cloudes droppe downe the dew.

²¹ My sonne, let not these thinges departe from thyne eyes, but kepe my lawe and my councell:²² so shal it be life vnto thy soule, & grace vnto yi mouth.²³ Then shalt thou walke safely in yi waye, & thy fote shal not stomble.²⁴ Yf thou slepest, thou shalt not be afrayed, but shalt take thy rest & slepe swetely.²⁵ Thou neddest not to be afrayed of eny sodane feare, nether for the violent russhinge in of the vngodly, when it commeth.²⁶ For the LORDE shal be besyde the, & kepe thy fote yt thou be not taken.

²⁷ Refuse not to do good vnto him that shulde haue it, so longe as thine hande is able to do it.²⁸ Saye not vnto thy neghboure: go thy waye & come agayne, tomorow wil I geue the:²⁹ where as thou hast now to geue him. Intende no hurte vnto thy neghboure, seynge he hopeth to dwell in rest by the.³⁰ Stryue not lightly wt eny man, where as he hath done ye no harme.³¹ Folowe not a wicked man, and chose none of his wayes:³² for the LORDE abhorreth the frowarde, but his secrete is amonge the righteous.³³ The curse of the LORDE is in the house of the vngodly, but he blesseth the dwellinges of the righteous.³⁴ As for the scornefull, he shal laugh the to scorne, but he shal geue grace vnto the lowly.³⁵ The wyse shal haue honor in possession, but shame is the promocio that fooles shal haue.