箴言 2

1 我兒，你若接受我的話，把我的誡命存在心中，

My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind;

2 側耳細聽智慧，專心尋求睿智；

So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;

3 你若呼求明哲，揚聲召尋睿智；

Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge;

4 你若尋求她如尋求銀子，搜索她如搜索寶藏，

If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

5 你必能領悟什麼是敬畏上主，也能明白什麼是認識天主。

Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.

6 因為，恩賜智慧的是上主，知識和睿智都出自他的口。

For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason:

7 他給正直人保留了救援，又是行止成全者的護盾。

He has salvation stored up for the upright, he is a breastplate to those in whom there is no evil;

8 他護守正直人的行徑，他保衛虔誠者的道路；

He keeps watch on the ways which are right, and takes care of those who have the fear of him.

9 這樣，你必能明瞭仁義和公平，明瞭正直和一切向善的道路。

Then you will have knowledge of righteousness and right acting, and upright behaviour, even of every good way.

10 如果智慧進入了你的心，智識成了你的喜樂，

For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul;

11 慎思就必監護你，睿智也必防守你，

Wise purposes will be watching over you, and knowledge will keep you;

12 使你遠離邪道，遠離言詞荒謬的人：

Giving you salvation from the evil man, from those whose words are false;

13 即那些離棄正道，走上黑暗之途，

Who give up the way of righteousness, to go by dark roads;

14 喜愛行惡，在邪惡中喜樂的人。

Who take pleasure in wrongdoing, and have joy in the evil designs of the sinner;

15 他們的道路彎曲不直，他們的行徑邪僻不正。

Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil:

16 智慧將救你脫離淫婦，脫離甘言蜜語的娼妓。

To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;

17 她離棄了少年時的良友，忘記了她的天主的盟約；

Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind:

18 為此，她的家屬趨向死亡，她的行徑通往黃泉；

For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades:

19 凡行近她的人，沒有一個返回，再不會走上生路。

Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:

20 為此，你應走善人的道路，持守義人的行徑，

So that you may go in the way of good men, and keep in the footsteps of the upright.

21 因為只有正直的人纔能住在地上，只有成全的人方得在那裏居留。

For the upright will be living in the land, and the good will have it for their heritage.

22 但是，作惡的人必由地上剷除，違法的人必由其中拔除。

But sinners will be cut off from the land, and those whose acts are false will be uprooted.