< Παροιμίαι 4 >
1 ἀκούσατε παῖδες παιδείαν πατρὸς καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
3 υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κἀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός
For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before my mother.
4 οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν
And he directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 φύλασσε ἐντολάς μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτήν καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς καὶ τηρήσει σε
Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
8 περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν καὶ ὑψώσει σε τίμησον αὐτήν ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ
Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
9 ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου
She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
10 ἄκουε υἱέ καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου ἵνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
11 ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε ἐμβιβάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ οὐ συγκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα ἐὰν δὲ τρέχῃς οὐ κοπιάσεις
In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
13 ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας μὴ ἀφῇς ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
14 ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων
Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
15 ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσιν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν ἀφῄρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται
For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not [some] to stumble.
17 οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται
For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink.
18 αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσιν προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
19 αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναί οὐκ οἴδασιν πῶς προσκόπτουσιν
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 υἱέ ἐμῇ ῥήσει πρόσεχε τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλε σὸν οὖς
My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
21 ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσίν σε αἱ πηγαί σου φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν σῇ καρδίᾳ
Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
22 ζωὴ γάρ ἐστιν τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὰς καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις
For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
23 πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς
Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα καὶ ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι
Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
25 οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια
Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσὶν καὶ τὰς ὁδούς σου κατεύθυνε
Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
27 μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς ὁδοὺς γὰρ τὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν οἶδεν ὁ θεός διεστραμμέναι δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν αὐτὸς δὲ ὀρθὰς ποιήσει τὰς τροχιάς σου τὰς δὲ πορείας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ προάξει
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!