< Proverbs 6 >

1 My son, suppose you have pledged to guarantee your neighbor's debt, or you have shaken hands in agreement with a stranger,
υἱέ ἐὰν ἐγγυήσῃ σὸν φίλον παραδώσεις σὴν χεῖρα ἐχθρῷ
2 then you've trapped yourself by what you promised, you've been caught by what you said.
παγὶς γὰρ ἰσχυρὰ ἀνδρὶ τὰ ἴδια χείλη καὶ ἁλίσκεται χείλεσιν ἰδίου στόματος
3 So this is what you have to do. You need to get out of it, because you've put yourself in that person's power. Go to your neighbor in all humility and ask him to release you from the commitment.
ποίει υἱέ ἃ ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι καὶ σῴζου ἥκεις γὰρ εἰς χεῖρας κακῶν διὰ σὸν φίλον ἴθι μὴ ἐκλυόμενος παρόξυνε δὲ καὶ τὸν φίλον σου ὃν ἐνεγυήσω
4 Don't delay, saying that you'll sleep on it. Don't rest until you've done it.
μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασιν μηδὲ ἐπινυστάξῃς σοῖς βλεφάροις
5 Get out of it like a gazelle escaping from a trap, like a bird from a bird-catcher's net.
ἵνα σῴζῃ ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος
6 Go and observe the ants, you slacker! Learn from what they do and become wise.
ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα ὦ ὀκνηρέ καὶ ζήλωσον ἰδὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος
7 They don't have a leader, an officer, or a ruler,
ἐκείνῳ γὰρ γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὢν
8 yet they work hard during the summer getting their food, gathering what they need during the harvest.
ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφὴν πολλήν τε ἐν τῷ ἀμήτῳ ποιεῖται τὴν παράθεσιν ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν καὶ μάθε ὡς ἐργάτις ἐστὶν τήν τε ἐργασίαν ὡς σεμνὴν ποιεῖται ἧς τοὺς πόνους βασιλεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγίειαν προσφέρονται ποθεινὴ δέ ἐστιν πᾶσιν καὶ ἐπίδοξος καίπερ οὖσα τῇ ῥώμῃ ἀσθενής τὴν σοφίαν τιμήσασα προήχθη
9 So how long are you going to lie there, you slacker? When are you going to get up from your sleep?
ἕως τίνος ὀκνηρέ κατάκεισαι πότε δὲ ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθήσῃ
10 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
ὀλίγον μὲν ὑπνοῖς ὀλίγον δὲ κάθησαι μικρὸν δὲ νυστάζεις ὀλίγον δὲ ἐναγκαλίζῃ χερσὶν στήθη
11 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
εἶτ’ ἐμπαραγίνεταί σοι ὥσπερ κακὸς ὁδοιπόρος ἡ πενία καὶ ἡ ἔνδεια ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς δρομεύς ἐὰν δὲ ἄοκνος ᾖς ἥξει ὥσπερ πηγὴ ὁ ἀμητός σου ἡ δὲ ἔνδεια ὥσπερ κακὸς δρομεὺς ἀπαυτομολήσει
12 Rebellious and wicked people go around telling lies,
ἀνὴρ ἄφρων καὶ παράνομος πορεύεται ὁδοὺς οὐκ ἀγαθάς
13 winking slyly, giving sneaky foot gestures, rudely pointing with their fingers.
ὁ δ’ αὐτὸς ἐννεύει ὀφθαλμῷ σημαίνει δὲ ποδί διδάσκει δὲ ἐννεύμασιν δακτύλων
14 Their warped minds plot evil schemes; they're always causing trouble.
διεστραμμένῃ δὲ καρδίᾳ τεκταίνεται κακὰ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ὁ τοιοῦτος ταραχὰς συνίστησιν πόλει
15 As a result, disaster falls suddenly on such people; in just a moment they're destroyed without hope of healing.
διὰ τοῦτο ἐξαπίνης ἔρχεται ἡ ἀπώλεια αὐτοῦ διακοπὴ καὶ συντριβὴ ἀνίατος
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven things that he absolutely detests:
ὅτι χαίρει πᾶσιν οἷς μισεῖ ὁ κύριος συντρίβεται δὲ δῑ ἀκαθαρσίαν ψυχῆς
17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that murder the innocent,
ὀφθαλμὸς ὑβριστοῦ γλῶσσα ἄδικος χεῖρες ἐκχέουσαι αἷμα δικαίου
18 a mind that plots evil schemes, feet that hurriedly run to do wrong,
καὶ καρδία τεκταινομένη λογισμοὺς κακοὺς καὶ πόδες ἐπισπεύδοντες κακοποιεῖν
19 a false witness that speaks lies, those who caused arguments in families.
ἐκκαίει ψεύδη μάρτυς ἄδικος καὶ ἐπιπέμπει κρίσεις ἀνὰ μέσον ἀδελφῶν
20 My son, pay attention to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching.
υἱέ φύλασσε νόμους πατρός σου καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ θεσμοὺς μητρός σου
21 Keep them always in mind. Tie them around your neck.
ἄφαψαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ σῇ ψυχῇ διὰ παντὸς καὶ ἐγκλοίωσαι ἐπὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ
22 They will lead you as you walk along; they will watch over you as you sleep; when you wake up they will talk with you.
ἡνίκα ἂν περιπατῇς ἐπάγου αὐτήν καὶ μετὰ σοῦ ἔστω ὡς δ’ ἂν καθεύδῃς φυλασσέτω σε ἵνα ἐγειρομένῳ συλλαλῇ σοι
23 For the instruction is a lamp, and the teaching is a light. The correction that comes from discipline is the way to life.
ὅτι λύχνος ἐντολὴ νόμου καὶ φῶς καὶ ὁδὸς ζωῆς ἔλεγχος καὶ παιδεία
24 It will protect you from an evil woman and the seductive words of a prostitute.
τοῦ διαφυλάσσειν σε ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ὑπάνδρου καὶ ἀπὸ διαβολῆς γλώσσης ἀλλοτρίας
25 Don't let your mind lust after her beauty, or let her hypnotize you with her fluttering eyelashes.
μή σε νικήσῃ κάλλους ἐπιθυμία μηδὲ ἀγρευθῇς σοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μηδὲ συναρπασθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς βλεφάρων
26 You can buy a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery with another man's wife can cost you your life.
τιμὴ γὰρ πόρνης ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου γυνὴ δὲ ἀνδρῶν τιμίας ψυχὰς ἀγρεύει
27 Can you put fire in your lap and not burn your clothes?
ἀποδήσει τις πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια οὐ κατακαύσει
28 Can you walk on hot coals and not scorch your feet?
ἢ περιπατήσει τις ἐπ’ ἀνθράκων πυρός τοὺς δὲ πόδας οὐ κατακαύσει
29 It's the same for anyone who sleeps with another man's wife. No one who touches her will remain unpunished.
οὕτως ὁ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς γυναῖκα ὕπανδρον οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται οὐδὲ πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος αὐτῆς
30 People don't condemn a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he's hungry.
οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἐὰν ἁλῷ τις κλέπτων κλέπτει γὰρ ἵνα ἐμπλήσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν πεινῶν
31 But if he's caught, he has to pay back seven times what he stole, even if it means handing over everything he has in his house.
ἐὰν δὲ ἁλῷ ἀποτείσει ἑπταπλάσια καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ δοὺς ῥύσεται ἑαυτόν
32 Any man who commits adultery with a woman has no sense; he who does so destroys himself.
ὁ δὲ μοιχὸς δῑ ἔνδειαν φρενῶν ἀπώλειαν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ περιποιεῖται
33 He will be wounded and dishonored. His disgrace will never be removed.
ὀδύνας τε καὶ ἀτιμίας ὑποφέρει τὸ δὲ ὄνειδος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
34 For jealousy makes a husband furious, and he won't hold back when he takes revenge.
μεστὸς γὰρ ζήλου θυμὸς ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς οὐ φείσεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως
35 He refuses any compensation, and won't be paid off, however big the amount.
οὐκ ἀνταλλάξεται οὐδενὸς λύτρου τὴν ἔχθραν οὐδὲ μὴ διαλυθῇ πολλῶν δώρων

< Proverbs 6 >