¹ Mi sone, if thou resseyuest my wordis, `and hidist myn heestis anentis thee;

² that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence.

³ For if thou inwardli clepist wisdom, and bowist thin herte to prudence;

⁴ if thou sekist it as money, and diggist it out as tresours;

⁵ thanne thou schalt vndirstonde the drede of the Lord, and schalt fynde the kunnyng of God.

⁶ For the Lord yyueth wisdom; and prudence and kunnyng is of his mouth.

⁷ He schal kepe the heelthe of riytful men, and he schal defende hem that goen sympli.

⁸ And he schal kepe the pathis of riytfulnesse, and he schal kepe the weies of hooli men.

⁹ Thanne thou schalt vndirstonde riytfulnesse, and dom, and equytee, and ech good path.

¹⁰ If wysdom entrith in to thin herte, and kunnyng plesith thi soule,

¹¹ good councel schal kepe thee, and prudence schal kepe thee; that thou be delyuered fro an yuel weie,

¹² and fro a man that spekith weiward thingis.

¹³ Whiche forsaken a riytful weie, and goen bi derk weies;

¹⁴ whiche ben glad, whanne thei han do yuel, and maken ful out ioye in worste thingis;

¹⁵ whose weies ben weywerd, and her goyingis ben of yuel fame.

¹⁶ That thou be delyuered fro an alien womman, and fro a straunge womman, that makith soft hir wordis;

¹⁷ and forsakith the duyk of hir tyme of mariage,

¹⁸ and hath foryete the couenaunt of hir God. For the hous of hir is bowid to deeth, and hir pathis to helle.

¹⁹ Alle that entren to hir, schulen not turne ayen, nether schulen catche the pathis of lijf.

²⁰ That thou go in a good weie, and kepe the pathis of iust men.

²¹ Forsothe thei that ben riytful, schulen dwelle in the lond; and symple men schulen perfitli dwelle ther ynne.

²² But vnfeithful men schulen be lost fro the loond; and thei that doen wickidli, schulen be takun awey fro it.