Proverbs 8

1 Σὺ τὴν σοφίαν κηρύξεις, ἵνα φρόνησίς σοι ὑπακούσῃ.

2 Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἄκρων ἐστὶν, ἀναμέσον δὲ τῶν τρίβων ἕστηκε.

3 Παρὰ γὰρ πύλαις δυναστῶν παρεδρεύει, ἐν δὲ εἰσόδοις ὑμνεῖται.

4 Ὑμᾶς ὦ ἄνθρωποι παρακαλῶ, καὶ προΐεμαι ἐμὴν φωνὴν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.

5 Νοήσατε ἄκακοι πανουργίαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπαίδευτοι ἔνθεσθε καρδίαν.

6 Εἰσακούσατέ μου, σεμνὰ γὰρ ἐρῶ, καὶ ἀνοίσω ἀπὸ χειλέων ὀρθά.

7 Ὅτι ἀλήθειαν μελετήσει ὁ φάρυγξ μου, ἐβδελυγμένα δὲ ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ χείλη ψευδῆ.

8 Μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου, οὐδὲν ἐαυτοῖς σκολιὸν οὐδὲ στραγγαλιῶδες.

9 Πάντα ἐνώπια τοῖς συνιοῦσι, καὶ ὀρθὰ τοῖς εὑρίσκουσι γνῶσιν.

10 Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον, καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον·

11 Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτῆς ἐστιν.

12 Ἐγὼ ἡ σοφία κατεσκήνωσα βουλὴν καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ ἔννοιαν ἐγὼ ἐπεκαλεσάμην.

13 Φόβος Κυρίου μισεῖ ἀδικίαν, ὕβριν τε καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ ὁδοὺς πονηρῶν· μεμίσηκα δὲ ἐγὼ διεστραμμένας ὁδοὺς κακῶν.

14 Ἐμὴ βουλὴ καὶ ἀσφάλεια, ἐμὴ φρόνησις, ἐμὴ δὲ ἰσχύς.

15 Διʼ ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσι, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται γράφουσιν δικαιοσύνην.

16 Διʼ ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται, καὶ τύραννοι διʼ ἐμοῦ κρατοῦσι γῆς.

17 Ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ, οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσιν.

18 Πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα ἐμοὶ ὑπάρχει, καὶ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ δικαιοσύνη.

19 Βέλτιον ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον, τὰ δὲ ἐμὰ γεννήματα κρείσσω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ.

20 Ἐν ὁδοῖς δικαιοσύνης περιπατῶ, καὶ ἀναμέσον τρίβων δικαιώματος ἀναστρέφομαι·

21 ἵνα μερίσω τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀγαπῶσιν ὕπαρξιν, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσω ἀγαθῶν·

21a ἐὰν ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τὰ καθʼ ἡμέραν γινόμενα, μνημονεύσω τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀριθμῆσαι.

22 Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ,

23 πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι,

24 καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων·

25 Πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν, γεννᾷ με.

26 Κύριος ἐποίησε χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτους, καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑπʼ οὐρανῶν.

27 Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζε τὸν οὐρανὸν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ, καὶ ὅτε ἀφώριζε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπʼ ἀνέμων,

28 καὶ ὡς ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη, καὶ ὡς ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑπʼ οὐρανὸν,

29 καὶ ὡς ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς,

30 ἤμην παρʼ αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα· ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρε· καθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ,

31 ὅτε ἐνευφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας, καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.

32 Νῦν οὖν υἱὲ ἄκουέ μου,

34 μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς εἰσακούσεταί μου, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὰς ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξει, ἀγρυπνῶν ἐπʼ ἐμαῖς θύραις καθʼ ἡμέραν, τηρῶν σταθμοὺς ἐμῶν εἰσόδων.

35 Αἱ γὰρ ἔξοδοί μου, ἔξοδοι ζωῆς, καὶ ἑτοιμάζεται θέλησις παρὰ Κυρίου.

36 Οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς ἐμὲ, ἀσεβοῦσιν εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς, καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀγαπῶσι θάνατον.

1 Thou shalt proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to thee.

2 For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways.

3 For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, saying ,

4 You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men.

5 O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge.

For the use of ἄκατος and πανοῦργος in this book, see Appendix.

6 Hearken to me; for I will speak solemn truths ; and will produce right sayings from my lips.

7 For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me.

8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse.

9 They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge.

10 Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than tried gold.

11 For wisdom is better than precious stones; and no valuable substance is of equal worth with it.

12 I wisdom have dwelt with counsel and knowledge, and I have called upon understanding.

13 The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men.

14 Counsel and safety are mine: prudence is mine, and strength is mine.

15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

16 By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth.

17 I love those that love me; and they that seek me shall find me .

18 Wealth and glory belong to me; yea, abundant possessions and righteousness.

19 It is better to have my fruit than to have gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver.

20 I walk in ways of righteousness, and am conversant with the paths of judgment;

21 that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things.

21a If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember also to recount the things of old.

22 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works.

23 He established me before time was in the beginning, before he made the earth:

before the age.

24 even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth:

25 before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me.

26 The Lord made countries and uninhabited tracts , and the highest inhabited parts of the world.

27 When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him; and when he prepared his throne upon the winds:

marked out.

28 and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth:

29 and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth:

See Appendix.

30 I was by him, suiting myself to him , I was that wherein he took delight; and daily I rejoiced in his presence continually.

arranging all things.

31 For he rejoiced when he had completed the world, and rejoiced among the children of men.

32 Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways;

appendix has Alexandrine text as: “And blessed are they that keep my ways.”

34 watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances.

35 For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favour from the Lord.

36 But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.