< Proverbs 23 >
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which [is] before thee,
ἐὰν καθίσῃς δειπνεῖν ἐπὶ τραπέζης δυναστῶν νοητῶς νόει τὰ παρατιθέμενά σοι
2 And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou [art] a man of appetite.
καὶ ἐπίβαλλε τὴν χεῖρά σου εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι
3 Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it [is] lying food.
εἰ δὲ ἀπληστότερος εἶ μὴ ἐπιθύμει τῶν ἐδεσμάτων αὐτοῦ ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχεται ζωῆς ψευδοῦς
4 Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.
μὴ παρεκτείνου πένης ὢν πλουσίῳ τῇ δὲ σῇ ἐννοίᾳ ἀπόσχου
5 For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.
ἐὰν ἐπιστήσῃς τὸ σὸν ὄμμα πρὸς αὐτόν οὐδαμοῦ φανεῖται κατεσκεύασται γὰρ αὐτῷ πτέρυγες ὥσπερ ἀετοῦ καὶ ὑποστρέφει εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ προεστηκότος αὐτοῦ
6 Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,
μὴ συνδείπνει ἀνδρὶ βασκάνῳ μηδὲ ἐπιθύμει τῶν βρωμάτων αὐτοῦ
7 For as he hath thought in his soul, so [is] he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart [is] not with thee.
ὃν τρόπον γὰρ εἴ τις καταπίοι τρίχα οὕτως ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει
8 Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that [are] sweet.
μηδὲ πρὸς σὲ εἰσαγάγῃς αὐτὸν καὶ φάγῃς τὸν ψωμόν σου μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐξεμέσει γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ λυμανεῖται τοὺς λόγους σου τοὺς καλούς
9 In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.
εἰς ὦτα ἄφρονος μηδὲν λέγε μήποτε μυκτηρίσῃ τοὺς συνετοὺς λόγους σου
10 Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,
μὴ μεταθῇς ὅρια αἰώνια εἰς δὲ κτῆμα ὀρφανῶν μὴ εἰσέλθῃς
11 For their Redeemer [is] strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.
ὁ γὰρ λυτρούμενος αὐτοὺς κύριος κραταιός ἐστιν καὶ κρινεῖ τὴν κρίσιν αὐτῶν μετὰ σοῦ
12 Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.
δὸς εἰς παιδείαν τὴν καρδίαν σου τὰ δὲ ὦτά σου ἑτοίμασον λόγοις αἰσθήσεως
13 Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.
μὴ ἀπόσχῃ νήπιον παιδεύειν ὅτι ἐὰν πατάξῃς αὐτὸν ῥάβδῳ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ
14 Thou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest. (Sheol )
σὺ μὲν γὰρ πατάξεις αὐτὸν ῥάβδῳ τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου ῥύσῃ (Sheol )
15 My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,
υἱέ ἐὰν σοφὴ γένηταί σου ἡ καρδία εὐφρανεῖς καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν καρδίαν
16 And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.
καὶ ἐνδιατρίψει λόγοις τὰ σὰ χείλη πρὸς τὰ ἐμὰ χείλη ἐὰν ὀρθὰ ὦσιν
17 Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But — in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
μὴ ζηλούτω ἡ καρδία σου ἁμαρτωλούς ἀλλὰ ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ἴσθι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
18 For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.
ἐὰν γὰρ τηρήσῃς αὐτά ἔσται σοι ἔκγονα ἡ δὲ ἐλπίς σου οὐκ ἀποστήσεται
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,
ἄκουε υἱέ καὶ σοφὸς γίνου καὶ κατεύθυνε ἐννοίας σῆς καρδίας
20 Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
μὴ ἴσθι οἰνοπότης μηδὲ ἐκτείνου συμβολαῖς κρεῶν τε ἀγορασμοῖς
21 For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.
πᾶς γὰρ μέθυσος καὶ πορνοκόπος πτωχεύσει καὶ ἐνδύσεται διερρηγμένα καὶ ῥακώδη πᾶς ὑπνώδης
22 Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.
ἄκουε υἱέ πατρὸς τοῦ γεννήσαντός σε καὶ μὴ καταφρόνει ὅτι γεγήρακέν σου ἡ μήτηρ
23 Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,
24 The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.
καλῶς ἐκτρέφει πατὴρ δίκαιος ἐπὶ δὲ υἱῷ σοφῷ εὐφραίνεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ
25 Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
εὐφραινέσθω ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ἐπὶ σοί καὶ χαιρέτω ἡ τεκοῦσά σε
26 Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.
δός μοι υἱέ σὴν καρδίαν οἱ δὲ σοὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς τηρείτωσαν
27 For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a strait pit.
πίθος γὰρ τετρημένος ἐστὶν ἀλλότριος οἶκος καὶ φρέαρ στενὸν ἀλλότριον
28 She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.
οὗτος γὰρ συντόμως ἀπολεῖται καὶ πᾶς παράνομος ἀναλωθήσεται
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
τίνι οὐαί τίνι θόρυβος τίνι κρίσις τίνι ἀηδίαι καὶ λέσχαι τίνι συντρίμματα διὰ κενῆς τίνος πέλειοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοί
30 Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
οὐ τῶν ἐγχρονιζόντων ἐν οἴνοις οὐ τῶν ἰχνευόντων ποῦ πότοι γίνονται
31 See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.
μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ ἀλλὰ ὁμιλεῖτε ἀνθρώποις δικαίοις καὶ ὁμιλεῖτε ἐν περιπάτοις ἐὰν γὰρ εἰς τὰς φιάλας καὶ τὰ ποτήρια δῷς τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ὕστερον περιπατήσεις γυμνότερος ὑπέρου
32 Its latter end — as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.
τὸ δὲ ἔσχατον ὥσπερ ὑπὸ ὄφεως πεπληγὼς ἐκτείνεται καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κεράστου διαχεῖται αὐτῷ ὁ ἰός
33 Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.
οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὅταν ἴδωσιν ἀλλοτρίαν τὸ στόμα σου τότε λαλήσει σκολιά
34 And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.
καὶ κατακείσῃ ὥσπερ ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης καὶ ὥσπερ κυβερνήτης ἐν πολλῷ κλύδωνι
35 'They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake — I seek it yet again!'
ἐρεῖς δέ τύπτουσίν με καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνεσα καὶ ἐνέπαιξάν μοι ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ᾔδειν πότε ὄρθρος ἔσται ἵνα ἐλθὼν ζητήσω μεθ’ ὧν συνελεύσομαι