Warnings against Foolishness

1My sonne if thou be suretie for thy neyghbour, and hast fastened thyne hande for another man:

2Thou art bounde with thine owne wordes, and taken with thine owne speach.

3Therfore my sonne do this, and thou shalt be discharged: When thou art come into thy neyghbours daunger, go thy wayes then soone, humble thy selfe, and with thy frendes intreate thy creditour.

4Let not thyne eyes sleepe, nor thyne eye liddes slumber.

5Saue thy self as a Doe from the hand of the hunter and as a byrde from the hande of the fouler.

6Go to the emmet thou sluggarde, consider her wayes, and learne to be wyse:

7She hath no guyde, nor ouerseer, nor ruler,

8Yet in the sommer she prouideth her meate, and gathereth her foode together in the haruest.

9Howe long wylt thou sleepe thou sluggishe man? When wylt thou aryse out of thy sleepe?

10Yea, sleepe on still a litle, slumber a litle, folde thyne handes together yet a litle that thou mayest sleepe:

11So shall pouertie come vnto thee as one that trauayleth by the way, and necessitie like a weaponed man.

12An vngodly person, a wicked man, goeth with a frowarde mouth.

13He winketh with his eyes, he tokeneth with his feete, he teacheth with his fingers.

14He is euer imagining mischiefe and frowardnes in his heart, and causeth discorde.

15Therefore shall his destruction come hastyly vpon hym, sodainly shall he be all to broken, and not be healed.

16These sixe thinges doth the Lorde hate, and the seuenth he vtterly abhorreth:

17A proude loke, a lying tongue, handes that shed innocent blood,

18An heart that goeth about wicked imaginations, feete that be swyft in running to mischiefe,

19A false witnesse that bringeth vp lyes, and hym that soweth discorde among brethren.

Warnings against Adultery

20My sonne, kepe thy fathers commaundement, and forsake not the lawe of thy mother:

21Tye them continually in thyne heart, and bynde them about thy necke.

22That shall leade thee when thou goest, preserue thee when thou art asleepe, and when thou awakest talke with thee.

23For the commaundement is a lanterne, and the lawe a light: yea chastening and nurture is the way of life:

24That they may kepe thee from the euyll woman, and from the flattering tongue of the straunge woman.

25Lust not after her beautie in thyne heart, lest thou be taken with her fayre lokes.

26By an harlot a man is brought to beg his bread, and a woman wyll hunte for the pretious life of man.

27May a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be brent?

28Or can one go vpon hotte coales, and his feete not be brent?

29Euen so, whosoeuer goeth in to his neyghbours wife and toucheth her, can not be vngiltie.

30Men do not vtterly despise a thiefe that stealeth to satisfie his soule, when he is hungrie:

31But if he may be gotten, he restoreth agayne seuen tymes as muche, or els he maketh recompence with all the good of his house.

32But whoso committeth adultrie with a woman, lacketh vnderstanding: and he that doth it, destroyeth his owne soule.

33He getteth him selfe a plague and dishonour, and his reproche shall neuer be put out:

34For the ielousie and wrath of the man wyll not be entreated,

35No though thou wouldest offer hym great gyftes to make amendes, he wyll not receaue them.