Proverbs 4
Παροιμίαι
1 ΑΚΟΥΣΑΤΕ, παῖδες, παιδείαν πατρὸς καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν·
Hear, you⌃ children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε.
For I give you a good gift; forsake you⌃ not my law.
3 υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κἀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός,
For I also was a son obedient to [my] father, and loved in the sight of [my] mother:
4 οἳ ἐδίδασκόν με καὶ ἔλεγον· ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν· φύλασσε ἐντολάς, μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ
who spoke and instructed me, [saying], Let our speech be fixed in your heart, keep [our] commandments, forget them not:
5 μηδὲ παρίδῃς ρῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος,
and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.
6 μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτήν, καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου· ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε·
And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to you: love it, and it shall keep you.
8 περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε· τίμησον αὐτήν, ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ,
Secure it, and it shall exalt you: honour it, that it may embrace you;
9 ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων, στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου.
that it may give to your head a crown of graces, and may cover you with a crown of delight.
10 Ἄκουε, υἱέ, καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους, καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου, ἵνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου·
Hear, [my] son, and receive my words; and the years of your life shall be increased, that the resources of your life may be many.
11 ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε, ἐμβιβάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς.
For I teach you the ways of wisdom; and I cause you to go in right paths.
12 ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ, οὐ συγκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα, ἐὰν δὲ τρέχῃς οὐ κοπιάσεις.
For when you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not be distressed.
13 ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας, μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου.
Take hold of my instruction; let it not go, —but keep it for yourself for your life.
14 ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς, μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων·
Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.
15 ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσι, μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ, ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον.
In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not there; but turn from them, and pass away.
16 οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν, ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν, ἀφῃ£ρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται·
For they can’t sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.
17 οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας, οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται.
For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.
18 αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσι, προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν, ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα·
But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come.
19 αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναί, οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν.
But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.
20 Υἱέ, ἐμῇ ρήσει πρόσεχε, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς,
[My] son, attend to my speech; and apply your ear to my words:
21 ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσί σε αἱ πηγαί σου, φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν καρδίᾳ·
that your fountains may not fail you; keep them in [your] heart.
22 ζωὴ γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὰς καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all [their] flesh.
23 πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν, ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς.
Keep your heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.
24 περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα καὶ ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι.
Remove from you a froward mouth, and put far away from you unjust lips.
25 οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια.
Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids assent [to] just [things].
26 ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσὶ καὶ τὰς ὁδούς σου κατεύθυνε.
Make straight paths for your feet, and order your ways aright.
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.
Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away your foot from an evil way: [for God knows the ways on the right hand, but those on the left are crooked:] and he will make your ways straight, and will guide your steps in peace.
Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.