Proverbs 4

1 Ἀκούσατε, παῖδες, παιδείαν πατρὸς, καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν.

2 Δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε.

3 Υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κᾀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος, καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός.

4 Οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με, ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν· φύλασσε ἐντολὰς,

5 μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ· Μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος,

6 μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου· ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε.

8 Περιχαράκωσον αὐτὴν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε· τίμησον αὐτὴν, ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ·

9 Ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων, στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου.

10 Ἄκουε υἱὲ καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους, καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου, ἵνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου.

11 Ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε, ἐμβιβάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς.

12 Ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ, οὐ συγκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα· ἐὰν δὲ τρέχῃς, οὐ κοπιάσεις.

13 Ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας, μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου.

14 Ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς, μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων.

15 Ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσι, μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκεὶ, ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον.

16 Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν, ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν· ἀφῄρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται.

17 Οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας, οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται.

18 Αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσι, προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν, ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα.

19 Αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναὶ, οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν.

20 Υἱὲ ἐμῇ ῥήσει πρόσεχε, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς.

21 Ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσί σε αἱ πηγαί σου, φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν καρδίᾳ.

22 Ζωὴ γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὰς, καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις.

23 Πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν, ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς.

24 Περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα, καὶ ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι.

25 Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια.

26 Ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσί, καὶ τὰς ὁδούς σου κατεύθυνε.

27 Μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ, μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά, ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς·

27a ὁδοὺς γὰρ τὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν οἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς, διεστραμμέναι δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν·

27b αὐτὸς δὲ ὀρθὰς ποιήσει τὰς τροχιάς σου, τὰς δὲ πορείας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ προάξει.

1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

2 For I give you a good gift; forsake ye not my law.

3 For I also was a son obedient to my father, and loved in the sight of my mother:

4 who spoke and instructed me, saying , Let our speech be fixed in thine heart, keep our commandments, forget them not:

5 and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.

See Appendix - Alexandrian codex has: “Get wisdom, get understanding, forget not, nor decline from the words of my mouth.”

6 And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to thee: love it, and it shall keep thee.

8 Secure it, and it shall exalt thee: honour it, that it may embrace thee;

dig a trench about her, see Heb.

9 that it may give unto thy head a crown of graces, and may cover thee with a crown of delight.

10 Hear, my son, and receive my words; and the years of thy life shall be increased, that the resources of thy life may be many.

11 For I teach thee the ways of wisdom; and I cause thee to go in right paths.

wheel-tracks, see chap 2. 18; Heb. 12. 13.

12 For when thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not be distressed.

13 Take hold of my instruction; let it not go,—but keep it for thyself for thy life.

14 Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.

15 In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not thither; but turn from them, and pass away.

16 For they cannot sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.

17 For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.

18 But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come.

order itself aright.

19 But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.

20 My son, attend to my speech; and apply thine ear to my words:

21 that thy fountains may not fail thee; keep them in thine heart.

22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

healing.

23 Keep thine heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.

24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and put far away from thee unjust lips.

25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids assent to just things .

26 Make straight paths for thy feet, and order thy ways aright.

27 Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away thy foot from an evil way:

27a [for God knows the ways on the right hand, but those on the left are crooked:]

omits.

27b and he will make thy ways straight, and will guide thy steps in peace.