< Proverbs 4 >
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
孩子,你們要聽父親的教訓,專心學習明智,
2 for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
因為我把好教訓授給你們,你們不要拋棄我的規勸。
3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
我也曾在父親面前作過孝子,在我母親膝下是唯一的嬌兒。
4 And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
我父曾訓誨我說:你應留心牢記我的話,遵守我的命令,好使你生存;
5 Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
你應緊握智慧,握住明智,不要忘記,也不要離棄我口中的教訓:
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.
你若不捨棄她,她必護佑你;你若喜愛她,她必看顧你。
7 The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.
首先應爭取的是智慧,因此你應尋求智慧,應犧牲一切去爭取明智。
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
你若顯揚智慧,智慧也必顯揚你;你若懷抱她,她也必光榮你:
9 She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
將華冠加在你的頭上,將榮冕賜給你。
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
我兒,你若聽取我的訓言,你必延年益壽。
11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
我要教給你智慧的道路,引你走上正直的途徑:
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
這樣,你若行走,你的腳決不會受阻礙;即便你奔馳,也決不致顛仆。
13 Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
你要堅持教訓,切勿把她拋棄;你應保存她,因為她是你的生命。
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
惡人的道路,你不要進去;壞人的途徑,你不要踏入;
15 avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
反應躲避,不經其上;遠遠離去,繞道他往。
16 For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall.
因為他們不作惡,不能入睡;不使人跌倒,就要失眠。
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
他們吃的是邪惡的餅,飲的是暴虐的酒。
18 But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
但是,義人的途徑,像黎明的曙光,越來越明亮,直至成日中;
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
惡人的道路,卻宛如幽暗,他們不知道,要跌在何處。
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
我兒,你要注意我的訓言,側耳傾聽我的教導;
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
不要讓她離開你的視線,卻要牢記在心中。
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
因為,凡找著她的,必獲得生命;他整個身軀,必獲得健康。
23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.
在一切之上,你要謹守你的心,因為生命是由此而生。
24 Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
你應摒絕口舌的欺詐,遠避唇舌的乖謬。
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
你的眼睛應向前直視,你的視線應向前集中。
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
你要修平你腳下的行徑,要鞏固你一切的路途。
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
你斷不可左傾右依,務使你的腳遠離邪惡。