Παροιμίαι 24
1 Μη ζήλευε τους κακούς ανθρώπους, μηδέ επιθύμει να ήσαι μετ' αυτών·
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 διότι η καρδία αυτών μελετά καταδυνάστευσιν, και τα χείλη αυτών λαλούσι κακουργίας.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Διά της σοφίας οικοδομείται οίκος και διά της συνέσεως στερεόνεται.
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 Και διά της γνώσεως τα ταμεία θέλουσι γεμισθή από παντός πολυτίμου και ευφροσύνου πλούτου.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Ο σοφός άνθρωπος ισχύει, και ο άνθρωπος ο φρόνιμος αυξάνει δύναμιν.
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Διότι διά σοφών βουλών θέλεις κάμει τον πόλεμόν σου· εκ του πλήθους δε των συμβούλων προέρχεται σωτηρία.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Η σοφία είναι παραπολύ υψηλή διά τον άφρονα· δεν θέλει ανοίξει το στόμα αυτού εν τη πύλη.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Όστις μελετά να πράξη κακόν, θέλει ονομασθή ανήρ κακεντρεχής.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 Η μελέτη της αφροσύνης είναι αμαρτία· και ο χλευαστής βδέλυγμα εις τους ανθρώπους.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Εάν μικροψυχήσης εν τη ημέρα της συμφοράς, μικρά είναι η δύναμίς σου.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Ελευθέρονε τους συρομένους εις θάνατον, και μη αποσύρου από των όντων εις ακμήν σφαγής.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Εάν είπης, Ιδού, ημείς δεν εξεύρομεν τούτο· δεν γνωρίζει ο σταθμίζων τας καρδίας; και ο φυλάττων την ψυχήν σου και αποδίδων εις έκαστον κατά τα έργα αυτού, δεν εξεύρει;
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
13 Υιέ μου, φάγε μέλι, διότι είναι καλόν· και κηρήθραν, διότι είναι γλυκεία επί του ουρανίσκον σου·
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 Τοιαύτη θέλει είσθαι εις την ψυχήν σου η γνώσις της σοφίας· όταν εύρης αυτήν, τότε θέλεις λάβει αμοιβήν, και η ελπίς σου δεν θέλει εκκοπή.
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
15 Μη στήνε παγίδα, ω άνομε, κατά της κατοικίας του δικαίου· μη ταράξης τον τόπον της αναπαύσεως αυτού·
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 διότι ο δίκαιος πίπτει επτάκις και σηκόνεται· αλλ' οι ασεβείς θέλουσι πέσει εις όλεθρον.
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
17 Εις την πτώσιν του εχθρού σου μη χαρής· και εις το ολίσθημα αυτού ας μη ευφραίνεται η καρδία σου·
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 Μήποτε ο Κύριος ίδη και φανή τούτο κακόν εις τους οφθαλμούς αυτού και μεταστρέψη τον θυμόν αυτού απ' αυτού.
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
19 Μη αγανάκτει περί των πονηρευομένων· μη ζήλευε τους ασεβείς·
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 διότι δεν θέλει έχει τέλος αγαθόν ο κακός· ο λύχνος των ασεβών θέλει σβεσθή.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Υιέ μου, φοβού τον Κύριον και τον βασιλέα· και μη έχε συγκοινωνίαν μετά στασιαστών·
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 διότι η συμφορά αυτών θέλει επέλθει εξαίφνης· και τις γνωρίζει αμφοτέρων τας τιμωρίας;
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
23 Ταύτα προσέτι είναι διά τους σοφούς. Η προσωποληψία εν τη κρίσει δεν είναι καλόν.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Τον λέγοντα προς τον ασεβή, Είσαι δίκαιος, τούτον οι λαοί θέλουσι καταρασθή και τα έθνη θέλουσι βδελύττεσθαι·
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
25 αλλ' εις τους ελέγχοντας αυτόν θέλει είσθαι χάρις, και ευλογία αγαθών θέλει ελθεί επ' αυτούς.
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
26 Όστις αποκρίνεται λόγους ορθούς, είναι ως ο φιλών τα χείλη.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Διάταττε το έργον σου έξω και προετοίμαζε αυτό εις σεαυτόν εν τω αγρώ· και έπειτα οικοδόμησον τον οίκόν σου.
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
28 Μη ήσο μάρτυς άδικος κατά του πλησίον σου, μηδέ απάτα διά των χειλέων σου.
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
29 Μη είπης, Καθώς έκαμεν εις εμέ, ούτω θέλω κάμει εις αυτόν· θέλω αποδώσει εις τον άνθρωπον κατά το έργον αυτού.
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
30 Διέβαινον διά του αγρού του οκνηρού και διά του αμπελώνος του ανθρώπου του ενδεούς φρενών·
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 και ιδού, πανταχού είχον βλαστήσει άκανθαι· κνίδαι είχον σκεπάσει το πρόσωπον αυτού, και το λιθόφραγμα αυτού ήτο κατακεκρημνισμένον.
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
32 Τότε εγώ θεωρήσας εσυλλογίσθην εν τη καρδία μου· είδον, και έλαβον διδασκαλίαν.
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 Ολίγος ύπνος, ολίγος νυσταγμός, ολίγη συμπλοκή των χειρών εις τον ύπνον·
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 έπειτα η πτωχεία σου έρχεται ως ταχυδρόμος, και η ένδειά σου ως ανήρ ένοπλος.
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
