Παροιμίαι 21
1 ὥσπερ ὁρμὴ ὕδατος οὕτως καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρὶ θεοῦ οὗ ἐὰν θέλων νεύσῃ ἐκεῖ ἔκλινεν αὐτήν
Yahweh controls what kings do [MTY] [like] he controls how streams flow; he causes kings to do just what he wants them to do.
2 πᾶς ἀνὴρ φαίνεται ἑαυτῷ δίκαιος κατευθύνει δὲ καρδίας κύριος
People always think that what they do is right, but Yahweh judges our (motives/reasons [for doing things)] [MTY].
3 ποιεῖν δίκαια καὶ ἀληθεύειν ἀρεστὰ παρὰ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ θυσιῶν αἷμα
Doing what is right and fair is more acceptable to Yahweh than [bringing] sacrifices [to him].
4 μεγαλόφρων ἐφ’ ὕβρει θρασυκάρδιος λαμπτὴρ δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἁμαρτία
Being proud and arrogant [DOU] is [like] a lamp [MTY] [that guides] wicked people; being proud and arrogant characterizes (wicked people’s whole behavior/everything that wicked people do).
People who plan carefully will surely have plenty [of what they need]; those who act too quickly [to become rich] will become poor.
6 ὁ ἐνεργῶν θησαυρίσματα γλώσσῃ ψευδεῖ μάταια διώκει ἐπὶ παγίδας θανάτου
Money that people acquire [by cheating others] by lying [MTY] to them will soon disappear [like] a mist, and doing that will [soon] lead to their death.
7 ὄλεθρος ἀσεβέσιν ἐπιξενωθήσεται οὐ γὰρ βούλονται πράσσειν τὰ δίκαια
Wicked [people] refuse to do what is right/just, but they will be ruined because of the violent things [PRS] that they do.
8 πρὸς τοὺς σκολιοὺς σκολιὰς ὁδοὺς ἀποστέλλει ὁ θεός ἁγνὰ γὰρ καὶ ὀρθὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ
Guilty [people continually do what is evil; it is as though] [MET] they are walking on a crooked road; but righteous/innocent people [always] do what is right.
9 κρεῖσσον οἰκεῖν ἐπὶ γωνίας ὑπαίθρου ἢ ἐν κεκονιαμένοις μετὰ ἀδικίας καὶ ἐν οἴκῳ κοινῷ
It is better to live in the corner of an attic/housetop [by yourself] than to live inside the house with a wife who is always nagging.
10 ψυχὴ ἀσεβοῦς οὐκ ἐλεηθήσεται ὑπ’ οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων
Wicked [people] [SYN] are always wanting [to do what is] evil; they never act mercifully toward anyone.
11 ζημιουμένου ἀκολάστου πανουργότερος γίνεται ὁ ἄκακος συνίων δὲ σοφὸς δέξεται γνῶσιν
When those who ridicule [others] are punished, [even] those who do not have good sense [see that, and] they become wise, and when those who are wise are taught, they become wiser.
12 συνίει δίκαιος καρδίας ἀσεβῶν καὶ φαυλίζει ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κακοῖς
[God], the one [who is completely] righteous, knows [what happens inside] the houses of wicked [people], and [he will cause] those people to be completely ruined/destroyed.
13 ὃς φράσσει τὰ ὦτα τοῦ μὴ ἐπακοῦσαι ἀσθενοῦς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεται καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ εἰσακούων
There are people who refuse to listen when poor people cry out [for help]; [but some day] they themselves will cry out [for help], and no one will hear them.
14 δόσις λάθριος ἀνατρέπει ὀργάς δώρων δὲ ὁ φειδόμενος θυμὸν ἐγείρει ἰσχυρόν
When someone is angry [with you], if you secretly give him a gift, he will stop being angry.
15 εὐφροσύνη δικαίων ποιεῖν κρίμα ὅσιος δὲ ἀκάθαρτος παρὰ κακούργοις
Good/Righteous [people] are happy when they [see others do] what is just/fair, but those who do what is evil are terrified [when they think about what may happen to them].
16 ἀνὴρ πλανώμενος ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαιοσύνης ἐν συναγωγῇ γιγάντων ἀναπαύσεται
Those who stop behaving like those who have good sense behave will [soon] discover that they have gone to the place where dead people are.
17 ἀνὴρ ἐνδεὴς ἀγαπᾷ εὐφροσύνην φιλῶν οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον εἰς πλοῦτον
Those who spend their money to buy (things that give them pleasure/things that cause them to feel happy) will become poor; those who love [to spend money to buy] wine and nice/fancy food [MTY] will never become rich.
18 περικάθαρμα δὲ δικαίου ἄνομος
Wicked [people] bring on themselves the sufferings that they were trying to cause righteous [people] to experience [DOU].
19 κρεῖσσον οἰκεῖν ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ ἢ μετὰ γυναικὸς μαχίμου καὶ γλωσσώδους καὶ ὀργίλου
It is better to live [alone] in a desert than [to live] with a wife who is [always] nagging and complaining.
20 θησαυρὸς ἐπιθυμητὸς ἀναπαύσεται ἐπὶ στόματος σοφοῦ ἄφρονες δὲ ἄνδρες καταπίονται αὐτόν
Wise people have many valuable things in their houses, but foolish people [quickly] spend/waste [all their money].
21 ὁδὸς δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης εὑρήσει ζωὴν καὶ δόξαν
Those who [always] try to act in a fair and kind way [toward others] will live [a long time] and be honored/respected.
22 πόλεις ὀχυρὰς ἐπέβη σοφὸς καὶ καθεῖλεν τὸ ὀχύρωμα ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐπεποίθεισαν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς
A wise army commander [helps his troops] climb over a wall [to attack] a city that is defended by a strong army, with the result that they are able to (get over/destroy) the high walls that their enemies trusted [would protect them].
23 ὃς φυλάσσει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν διατηρεῖ ἐκ θλίψεως τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ
Those who are very careful about what they say [MTY] are [able to] avoid trouble.
24 θρασὺς καὶ αὐθάδης καὶ ἀλαζὼν λοιμὸς καλεῖται ὃς δὲ μνησικακεῖ παράνομος
Those who make fun of [everything that is good] are proud and conceited [DOU]; they [always] act in an inconsiderate way [toward others].
25 ἐπιθυμίαι ὀκνηρὸν ἀποκτείνουσιν οὐ γὰρ προαιροῦνται αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ποιεῖν τι
Lazy people, who refuse to work, [will] die [of hunger] because they [SYN] do not earn [money to buy food].
26 ἀσεβὴς ἐπιθυμεῖ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπιθυμίας κακάς ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐλεᾷ καὶ οἰκτίρει ἀφειδῶς
All during the day [wicked people] desire to obtain things, but righteous [people] have plenty, [with the result that] they [are able to] give things generously to others.
27 θυσίαι ἀσεβῶν βδέλυγμα κυρίῳ καὶ γὰρ παρανόμως προσφέρουσιν αὐτάς
[Yahweh] detests the sacrifices that wicked [people] offer [to him]; [but he] detests it even more when they [think that they will escape being punished for] their evil deeds because of the sacrifices that they bring.
28 μάρτυς ψευδὴς ἀπολεῖται ἀνὴρ δὲ ὑπήκοος φυλασσόμενος λαλήσει
Those who tell lies in court will be punished; no one stops/silences witnesses who say what is truthful/reliable.
29 ἀσεβὴς ἀνὴρ ἀναιδῶς ὑφίσταται προσώπῳ ὁ δὲ εὐθὴς αὐτὸς συνίει τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ
Wicked people pretend [that they know everything], but righteous people think carefully about [what will happen because of] what they do.
30 οὐκ ἔστιν σοφία οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνδρεία οὐκ ἔστιν βουλὴ πρὸς τὸν ἀσεβῆ
[Thinking that we are] wise, and that we understand many things, and that we have good insight, does not help us if Yahweh is (acting against/not pleased with) us.
31 ἵππος ἑτοιμάζεται εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμου παρὰ δὲ κυρίου ἡ βοήθεια
We [can] get horses ready to fight in a battle, but Yahweh is the one who enables us to (win victories/defeat our enemies).
