< Proverbs 24 >
1 Do not be envious of evil men, And do not desire to be with them.
υἱέ μὴ ζηλώσῃς κακοὺς ἄνδρας μηδὲ ἐπιθυμήσῃς εἶναι μετ’ αὐτῶν
2 For their heart meditates [on] destruction, And their lips speak perverseness.
ψεύδη γὰρ μελετᾷ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν καὶ πόνους τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν λαλεῖ
3 A house is built by wisdom, And it establishes itself by understanding.
μετὰ σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται οἶκος καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως ἀνορθοῦται
4 And the inner parts are filled by knowledge, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.
μετὰ αἰσθήσεως ἐμπίμπλαται ταμίεια ἐκ παντὸς πλούτου τιμίου καὶ καλοῦ
5 The wise [is] mighty in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,
κρείσσων σοφὸς ἰσχυροῦ καὶ ἀνὴρ φρόνησιν ἔχων γεωργίου μεγάλου
6 For you make war for yourself by plans, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
μετὰ κυβερνήσεως γίνεται πόλεμος βοήθεια δὲ μετὰ καρδίας βουλευτικῆς
7 Wisdom [is] high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.
σοφία καὶ ἔννοια ἀγαθὴ ἐν πύλαις σοφῶν σοφοὶ οὐκ ἐκκλίνουσιν ἐκ στόματος κυρίου
8 Whoever is devising to do evil, They call him a master of wicked thoughts.
ἀλλὰ λογίζονται ἐν συνεδρίοις ἀπαιδεύτοις συναντᾷ θάνατος
9 The thought of folly [is] sin, And a scorner [is] an abomination to man.
ἀποθνῄσκει δὲ ἄφρων ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἀκαθαρσία δὲ ἀνδρὶ λοιμῷ ἐμμολυνθήσεται
10 You have showed yourself weak in a day of adversity, Your power is restricted,
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῇ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως ἕως ἂν ἐκλίπῃ
11 If [from] delivering those taken to death, And you take back those slipping to the slaughter.
ῥῦσαι ἀγομένους εἰς θάνατον καὶ ἐκπρίου κτεινομένους μὴ φείσῃ
12 When you say, “Behold, we did not know this.” Is the Ponderer of hearts not He who understands? And the Keeper of your soul He who knows? And He has rendered to man according to his work.
ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃς οὐκ οἶδα τοῦτον γίνωσκε ὅτι κύριος καρδίας πάντων γινώσκει καὶ ὁ πλάσας πνοὴν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς οἶδεν πάντα ὃς ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ
13 My son, eat honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb [is] sweet to your palate.
φάγε μέλι υἱέ ἀγαθὸν γὰρ κηρίον ἵνα γλυκανθῇ σου ὁ φάρυγξ
14 So [is] the knowledge of wisdom to your soul, If you have found that there is a posterity And your hope is not cut off.
οὕτως αἰσθήσῃ σοφίαν τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ ἐὰν γὰρ εὕρῃς ἔσται καλὴ ἡ τελευτή σου καὶ ἐλπίς σε οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψει
15 Do not lay wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting place.
μὴ προσαγάγῃς ἀσεβῆ νομῇ δικαίων μηδὲ ἀπατηθῇς χορτασίᾳ κοιλίας
16 For the righteous fall and rise seven [times], And the wicked stumble in evil.
ἑπτάκι γὰρ πεσεῖται ὁ δίκαιος καὶ ἀναστήσεται οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν κακοῖς
17 Do not rejoice in the falling of your enemy, And do not let your heart be joyful in his stumbling,
ἐὰν πέσῃ ὁ ἐχθρός σου μὴ ἐπιχαρῇς αὐτῷ ἐν δὲ τῷ ὑποσκελίσματι αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπαίρου
18 Lest YHWH see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He has turned His anger from off him.
ὅτι ὄψεται κύριος καὶ οὐκ ἀρέσει αὐτῷ καὶ ἀποστρέψει τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
19 Do not fret yourself at evildoers, do not be envious at the wicked,
μὴ χαῖρε ἐπὶ κακοποιοῖς μηδὲ ζήλου ἁμαρτωλούς
20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
οὐ γὰρ μὴ γένηται ἔκγονα πονηρῶν λαμπτὴρ δὲ ἀσεβῶν σβεσθήσεται
21 Fear YHWH, my son, and the king, Do not mix yourself up with changers,
φοβοῦ τὸν θεόν υἱέ καὶ βασιλέα καὶ μηθετέρῳ αὐτῶν ἀπειθήσῃς
22 For their calamity rises suddenly, And the ruin of them both—who knows!
ἐξαίφνης γὰρ τείσονται τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς τὰς δὲ τιμωρίας ἀμφοτέρων τίς γνώσεται
23 These are also for the wise: [It] is not good to discern faces in judgment.
ταῦτα δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν τοῖς σοφοῖς ἐπιγινώσκειν αἰδεῖσθαι πρόσωπον ἐν κρίσει οὐ καλόν
24 Whoever is saying to the wicked, “You [are] righteous,” Peoples execrate him—nations abhor him.
ὁ εἰπὼν τὸν ἀσεβῆ δίκαιός ἐστιν ἐπικατάρατος λαοῖς ἔσται καὶ μισητὸς εἰς ἔθνη
25 And it is pleasant to those reproving, And a good blessing comes on them.
οἱ δὲ ἐλέγχοντες βελτίους φανοῦνται ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς δὲ ἥξει εὐλογία ἀγαθή
26 He who is returning straightforward words kisses lips.
χείλη δὲ φιλήσουσιν ἀποκρινόμενα λόγους ἀγαθούς
27 Prepare your work in an out-place, And make it ready in the field—go afterward, Then you have built your house.
ἑτοίμαζε εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ παρασκευάζου εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν καὶ πορεύου κατόπισθέν μου καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσεις τὸν οἶκόν σου
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor for nothing, Or you have enticed with your lips.
μὴ ἴσθι ψευδὴς μάρτυς ἐπὶ σὸν πολίτην μηδὲ πλατύνου σοῖς χείλεσιν
29 Do not say, “As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.”
μὴ εἴπῃς ὃν τρόπον ἐχρήσατό μοι χρήσομαι αὐτῷ τείσομαι δὲ αὐτὸν ἅ με ἠδίκησεν
30 I passed by near the field of a slothful man, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
ὥσπερ γεώργιον ἀνὴρ ἄφρων καὶ ὥσπερ ἀμπελὼν ἄνθρωπος ἐνδεὴς φρενῶν
31 And behold, it has gone up—all of it—thorns! Nettles have covered its face, And its stone wall has been broken down.
ἐὰν ἀφῇς αὐτόν χερσωθήσεται καὶ χορτομανήσει ὅλος καὶ γίνεται ἐκλελειμμένος οἱ δὲ φραγμοὶ τῶν λίθων αὐτοῦ κατασκάπτονται
32 And I see—I set my heart, I have seen—I have received instruction,
ὕστερον ἐγὼ μετενόησα ἐπέβλεψα τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι παιδείαν
33 A little sleep—a little slumber—A little folding of the hands to lie down.
ὀλίγον νυστάζω ὀλίγον δὲ καθυπνῶ ὀλίγον δὲ ἐναγκαλίζομαι χερσὶν στήθη
34 And your poverty has come [as] a traveler, And your want as an armed man!
ἐὰν δὲ τοῦτο ποιῇς ἥξει προπορευομένη ἡ πενία σου καὶ ἡ ἔνδειά σου ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς δρομεύς