Pregovori 4
1 Prisluhnite, vi otroci, poučevanju očeta in pazite, da spoznate razumevanje.
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
2 Kajti dajem vam dober nauk, ne zapustite moje postave.
I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3 Kajti jaz sem bil sin svojega očeta, nežen in edini ljubljen v očeh svoje matere.
For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4 Tudi učil me je in mi rekel: »Tvoje srce naj ohrani moje besede. Drži se mojih zapovedi in živi.
And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5 Pridobivaj modrost, pridobivaj razumevanje, tega ne pozabi niti se ne nagni od besed iz mojih ust.
Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Ne zapusti je, pa te bo varovala; ljubi jo, pa te bo čuvala.
Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 Modrost je glavna stvar, zato pridobivaj modrost in z vsem svojim dobičkom pridobivaj razumevanje.
The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 Poveličuj jo, pa te bo povišala, prinesla ti bo čast, ko jo boš objemal.
Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9 Tvoji glavi bo dala ornament milosti, izročila ti bo krono slave.«
She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10 Prisluhni, oh moj sin in sprejmi moje izreke in mnogo bo let tvojega življenja.
Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11 Učil sem te na poti modrosti, vodil sem te po pravih poteh.
I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12 Kadar greš, tvoje stopinje ne bodo utesnjene in kadar tečeš, se ne boš spotaknil.
Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13 Trdno se oprimi poučevanja, naj ona ne odide. Obdrži jo, kajti ona je tvoje življenje.
Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14 Ne stopaj na pot zlobnih in ne hodi po stezi zlobnih ljudi.
Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15 Izogibaj se je, ne hodi mimo nje in obrni se od nje ter pojdi proč.
Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16 Kajti oni ne spijo, razen če niso storili vragolije in njihovo spanje je odvzeto, razen če nekomu ne povzročijo, da pade.
For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17 Kajti jedo kruh zlobnosti in pijejo vino nasilja.
They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18 Toda steza pravičnih je kakor svetlikajoča svetloba, ki bolj in bolj sije do popolnega dne.
But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
19 Pot zlobnih je kakor tema; ne vedo ob kaj se spotaknejo.
The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20 Moj sin, prisluhni mojim besedam, svoje uho nagni k mojim izrekom.
My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21 Naj le-ti ne odidejo od tvojih oči, obdrži jih v sredi svojega srca.
Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22 Kajti življenje so tistim, ki jih najdejo in zdravje vsemu njihovemu mesu.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23 Svoje srce varuj z vso marljivostjo, kajti iz njega so zadeve življenja.
With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24 Kljubovalna usta daj od sebe in sprevržene ustnice odloži daleč stran od sebe.
Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25 Tvoje oči naj gledajo naravnost in tvoje veke naj gledajo neposredno pred teboj.
Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Preudari stezo svojih stopal in vse tvoje poti naj bodo utrjene.
Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27 Ne obrni se ne k desni roki niti ne k levi, svoje stopalo odstrani od zla.
Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
