1 Therfor clepe thou, if `ony is that schal answere thee, and turne thou to summe of seyntis.

2 Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.

3 Y siy a fool with stidefast rote, and Y curside his feirnesse anoon.

4 Hise sones schulen be maad fer fro helthe, and thei schulen be defoulid in the yate, and `noon schal be that schal delyuere hem.

5 Whos ripe corn an hungri man schal ete, and an armed man schal rauysche hym, and thei, that thirsten, schulen drynke hise richessis.

6 No thing is doon in erthe with out cause, and sorewe schal not go out of the erthe.

7 A man is borun to labour, and a brid to fliyt.

8 Wherfor Y schal biseche the Lord, and Y schal sette my speche to my God.

9 That makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis with out noumbre.

10 Which yyueth reyn on the face of erthe, and moistith alle thingis with watris.

11 Which settith meke men an hiy, and reisith with helthe hem that morenen.

12 Which distrieth the thouytis of yuel willid men, that her hondis moun not fille tho thingis that thei bigunnen.

13 Which takith cautelouse men in the felnesse `of hem, and distrieth the counsel of schrewis.

14 Bi dai thei schulen renne in to derknessis, and as in nyyt so thei schulen grope in myddai.

15 Certis God schal make saaf a nedi man fro the swerd of her mouth, and a pore man fro the hond of the violent, `ethir rauynour.

16 And hope schal be to a nedi man, but wickidnesse schal drawe togidere his mouth.

17 Blessid is the man, which is chastisid of the Lord; therfor repreue thou not the blamyng of the Lord.

18 For he woundith, and doith medicyn; he smytith, and hise hondis schulen make hool.

19 In sixe tribulaciouns he schal delyuere thee, and in the seuenthe tribulacioun yuel schal not touche thee.

20 In hungur he schal delyuere thee fro deeth, and in batel fro the power of swerd.

21 Thou schalt be hid fro the scourge of tunge, and thou schalt not drede myseiste, `ethir wretchidnesse, whanne it cometh.

22 In distriyng maad of enemyes and in hungur thou schalt leiye, and thou schalt not drede the beestis of erthe.

23 But thi couenaunt schal be with the stonys of erthe, and beestis of erthe schulen be pesible to thee.

24 And thou schalt wite, that thi tabernacle hath pees, and thou visitynge thi fairnesse schalt not do synne.

25 And thou schalt wite also, that thi seed schal be many fold, and thi generacioun schal be as an erbe of erthe.

26 In abundaunce thou schalt go in to the sepulcre, as an heep of wheete is borun in his tyme.

27 Lo! this is so, as we han souyt; which thing herd, trete thou in minde.