< 箴言 4 >

1 眾子啊,要聽父親的教訓, 留心得知聰明。
Listen, sons, to the discipline of a father, and pay attention, so that you may know prudence.
2 因我所給你們的是好教訓; 不可離棄我的法則。
I will bestow upon you a good gift. Do not relinquish my law.
3 我在父親面前為孝子, 在母親眼中為獨一的嬌兒。
For I, too, was the son of my father, tender and an only son in the sight of my mother.
4 父親教訓我說:你心要存記我的言語, 遵守我的命令,便得存活。
And he taught me, and he also said: “Let your heart accept my words. Keep my precepts, and you shall live.
5 要得智慧,要得聰明,不可忘記, 也不可偏離我口中的言語。
Obtain wisdom, obtain prudence. May you neither forget, nor turn away from, the words of my mouth.
6 不可離棄智慧,智慧就護衛你; 要愛她,她就保守你。
Do not send her away, and she will guard you. Love her, and she will preserve you.
7 智慧為首; 所以,要得智慧。 在你一切所得之內必得聰明。
The beginning of wisdom is to obtain wisdom, and, with all that you possess, to acquire prudence.
8 高舉智慧,她就使你高升; 懷抱智慧,她就使你尊榮。
Grasp her, and she will exalt you. You will be glorified by her, when you have embraced her.
9 她必將華冠加在你頭上, 把榮冕交給你。
She will bestow upon your head an increase in graces, and she will protect you with a noble crown.
10 我兒,你要聽受我的言語, 就必延年益壽。
Listen, my son, and accept my words, so that years of life may be multiplied for you.
11 我已指教你走智慧的道, 引導你行正直的路。
I will demonstrate to you the way of wisdom. I will lead you along the paths of equity.
12 你行走,腳步必不致狹窄; 你奔跑,也不致跌倒。
When you have entered by these, your steps will not be constrained, and when running, you will have no obstacle.
13 要持定訓誨,不可放鬆; 必當謹守,因為它是你的生命。
Take hold of discipline. Do not dismiss it. Guard it, for it is your life.
14 不可行惡人的路; 不要走壞人的道。
Do not delight in the paths of the impious, nor permit the way of evil-doers to please you.
15 要躲避,不可經過; 要轉身而去。
Take flight from it. Do not pass close to it. Turn away and abandon it.
16 這等人若不行惡,不得睡覺; 不使人跌倒,睡臥不安;
For they do not sleep, unless they have done evil. And their sleep is quickly taken away from them, unless they have overthrown.
17 因為他們以奸惡吃餅, 以強暴喝酒。
They eat the bread of impiety, and they drink the wine of iniquity.
18 但義人的路好像黎明的光, 越照越明,直到日午。
But the path of the just is like a shining light: it advances and increases, even to the day of completion.
19 惡人的道好像幽暗, 自己不知因甚麼跌倒。
The way of the impious is darkened. They do not know where they may fall.
20 我兒,要留心聽我的言詞, 側耳聽我的話語,
My son, pay attention to my sermons, and incline your ear to my eloquent words.
21 都不可離你的眼目, 要存記在你心中。
Let them not recede from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 因為得着它的,就得了生命, 又得了醫全體的良藥。
For they are life to those who find them and health to all that is flesh.
23 你要保守你心,勝過保守一切, 因為一生的果效是由心發出。
Preserve your heart with all watchfulness, for life proceeds from this.
24 你要除掉邪僻的口, 棄絕乖謬的嘴。
Remove from yourself a corrupt mouth, and let detracting lips be far from you.
25 你的眼目要向前正看; 你的眼睛當向前直觀。
Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids precede your steps.
26 要修平你腳下的路, 堅定你一切的道。
Direct the path of your feet, and all your ways shall be secure.
27 不可偏向左右; 要使你的腳離開邪惡。
Turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left; yet turn your foot away from evil. For the Lord knows the ways that are on the right, and truly, those that are on the left are perverse. But he himself will make your courses straight. Then your journey will advance in peace.

< 箴言 4 >